An advocacy group is asking Lane County officials to be more transparent when selecting the new sheriff.
On May 1, Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harrold announced his resignation. The sheriff’s office is an elected position, but Harrold’s mid-term resignation means county commissioners will get to choose his replacement.
Now, the Trans Alliance of Lane County is pushing commissioners to have an open recruitment process. The organization wants Lane County officials to hold public interviews with finalists where the public can attend and learn more about finalists’ objectives and goals.
Members and supporters of the organization attended a Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday with a list of demands. They asked Lane County officials to choose a sheriff that will uphold the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act, a 2021 law that created more restrictions on how local governments can assist federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws. They also requested the interim sheriff uphold a recently passed resolution promising to protect transgender and immigrant residents.
“The main reason it's important is because immigrants and transgender people are two of the most marginalized groups right now that are under constant daily attack from this current federal administration and a lot of those federal policies have impacts on the state and local level,” said Anna Lardner, an organizer with the Trans Alliance of Lane County.
She also added that the county needs a sheriff they can trust.
“In a time where public trust is very low in law enforcement, we want our sheriff to be someone that the county can count on to defend those marginalized groups in this climate,” she said.
According to the Lane County Board of Commissioners, people can apply to the new Sheriff position using this link from May 16 to May 27. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and have been a resident of Lane County for at least two years. They must also have prior experience as a law enforcement officer.
The board will conduct interviews for the position on June 11. According to a county spokesperson, the format of the interviews—including whether they will be conducted in public—will be discussed at a Board of Commissioners meeting next week.
The appointed sheriff will serve through 2026, at which point the seat will be up for election.
