By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
March 12, 2008

Detective Bob Davidson believes the management crisis at NORCOR illustrates the overall “lack of leadership” shown by Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler.

Davidson, a major crimes detective at the sheriff’s office, has decided to make a second run at Wampler for the elected position. He carries the same message about the need for change that he did when he ran unsuccessfully against Wampler eight years ago. But Davidson, 52, believes the problems have worsened to the point that he can now provide voters with examples to back up his assertions.

He said Wampler’s “disinterest” in anything except search and rescue operations has created numerous challenges that his employees are struggling to overcome.

“Having a sheriff that exhibits a lackadaisical approach to law enforcement is not fair to the citizens who are paying the bill for, and relying upon, our services. It is also not fair to the deputies who are working so hard to keep this county safe,” said Davidson, who has 30 years of experience in the field.

Davidson is joined in delivering that message by Capt. Jim Tomson, who oversees sheriff patrol activities, Detective Gerry Tiffany, who investigates crimes against children, and City Detective Tiffany Hicks, the former school resource officer.

“This office is being managed by crisis. We wait until things are broken before we fix them and I agree with Bob that we need to take a more proactive approach,” said Hicks.

Davidson said the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities Board of Directors has struggled for the past year to deal with allegations of supervisory misconduct. He said Wampler, who represents the county with the second highest financial stake in the jail, attended only two board meetings in 2007. (That information was confirmed by a NORCOR clerk.) The $17 million facility serves Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam and Sherman counties and was built with joint bond levy funds. In addition, local taxpayers also expend $1 million every year toward operating expenses.

Since late winter of 2007, the NORCOR board has been attempting to address a variety of complaints about supervisory misconduct. These allegations have included money mismanagement, sexual harassment, the abuse of inmates and gender discrimination.

“The problems at NORCOR have been laid by the interim administrator at the feet of a negligent sheriff’s advisory board. But even that criticism didn’t manage to get our sheriff more involved,” said Davidson.

(The report that he referenced was submitted to the NORCOR board by interim Administrator Laura Pryor in January. Some of her comments were subsequently published in The Dalles Chronicle and the Hood River News).

Davidson is also upset that Hicks’ position as school resource officer was cut in 2005 after Wampler declined to help the city offset her wages. Hicks said she is still being contacted by at-risk students that she befriended in Cascade Locks, Odell and Hood River.

Her assignment until funding lapsed was to help youth master conflict resolution skills and steer them away from drug and alcohol use. She developed a trust relationship with students that helped some troubled youth feel safe enough to confide in her about the drug use of their parents or the abusive situations at home.

“I still hear from many of these kids and one even wants me to be the godmother of her children. They stop to talk with me when I’m out on patrol and that is what true community policing is all about,” Hicks said.

Davidson wants to reinstate the school officer program and believes that will be possible with a dedicated effort to seek out all available grant funding.

He has drawn agreement from Gerry Tiffany that more money also needs to be spent on training costs for deputies. The two detectives contend that, with more than $20,000 for overtime cut out of last year’s budget, it has been difficult for deputies to meet state and federal training mandates to retain their certification.

“We are about one year behind with our training schedule and that is a source of real concern to us,” said Tiffany.

Davidson said the sheriff’s office operates without a complete manual of policies and procedures. He said the personnel handbook provided by the county is not detailed enough to cover the complexity of issues related to a law enforcement agency.

“The current sheriff campaigned 16 years ago saying he would institute policies but he has not done this,” Davidson said.

“Without comprehensive policies and procedures in place, the current administration is exposing Hood River County to an unreasonable liability risk.”

Jim Tomson said crime has risen in the county by 42 percent within the last five years, according to the Oregon Uniform Crime Report. He said Hood River is one of eight out of the state’s 36 counties with a significant crime increase. He said residential population growth, and a rise in the tourist trade, has brought more car prowls than ever, especially at trailheads in the Gorge and on Mount Hood.

In addition, he said traffic accidents are also up, with 42 fatalities within the last 10 years.

Tomson said he devised a traffic safety plan in 2002 after the number of Oregon State Patrol troopers on roadways was reduced due to a funding crisis. He said that plan was shelved after the sheriff told him that it had been shot down by the Hood River County Commission. Tomson firmly believes that “something should have been done” about the identified problems.

“I think that Bob has a real grasp on our law enforcement challenges within this county and will address them in a positive way,” he said.

Davidson is constructing a Web site that will soon post his five core values as a new sheriff. His credentials and criminology background will also be posted on www.bob-davidson.net. He can be reached for questions about his candidacy at 386-5615.