MULTNOMAH COUNTY, OR - In coordination with local leaders and our public safety partners, effective August 15, 2023, at the direction of Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is returning to an “open booking” policy.
This means any person arrested in Multnomah County for any felony or misdemeanor offense codified in the Oregon Revised Statutes can be booked into jail.
In 2020, the Sheriff’s Office narrowed booking criteria to proactively manage through COVID-19 outbreaks in our jails. During 2021 and 2022, our agency worked with partners to evaluate public safety needs and responded by adjusting booking criteria as needed. At the same time, we had the opportunity to rethink how we house adults in custody, how we utilize space within our jails and how we provide services and programming to adults in custody.
Two bills recently signed by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, House Bill 2645, which allows law enforcement to charge offenders for carrying a gram or more of fentanyl with a Class A misdemeanor, and House Bill 2005, which outlaw’s firearms without a documented serial number, are also included in the booking criteria.
We will continue working with our agency partners to approach and manage our jail’s population while balancing the public safety needs in communities across the county.
All pretrial release orders remain a decision of the Multnomah County Courts, in accordance with the Presiding Judge Orders and Senate Bill 48.
