Little change is needed in Polk County law enforcement, Sheriff Mark Garton and District Attorney Aaron Felton told the Salem City Council on Monday.
Garton noted that every calendar year the sheriff and district attorney are required to review law enforcement.
“Everyone knows what everyone’s job is,” he said, adding that the update for the Oregon Revised Statutes does not specify how force is to be used.
State law calls for educating the government and the community about the plan. It calls for studying the immediate aftermath of use of force, and governing bodies may not amend the plan on their own.
Issues involving force or amendments to the plan are sent to the state Department of Justice, Garton said. If a proposed change is not approved, he said, the planning authority must revise and resubmit the plan.
Felton noted that in his time as district attorney, very few deadly force incidents have come up.
In another matter involving Polk County, Susann Kaltwasser of West Salem repeated a call she made last year for zero waste. Kaltwasser, who represents an inflation-fighting group called Pay as You Throw, said the organization is trying to keep handlers from raising rates.
Another West Salem resident, Betsy Belshaw, repeated her call for a second park ranger for the city. One ranger for about 100 parks in the city is spread too thin, she said.
