Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett plans to leave his elected position on November 30, according to an agenda for an upcoming Washington County Board of Commissioners work session.
“Sheriff Pat Garrett is retiring from service on November 30, 2023 with 35 years of dedicated service to Washington County,” an agenda topic for the county commission’s September 26 work session read.
Garrett is recommending Undersheriff Caprice Massey as Interim Sheriff to fill the post until the next election in May 2024 yields a winner to a full four-year term and can be sworn in after the election.
Massey, a Tigard resident, filed to run for Washington County Sheriff in the May 21, 2024 election on September 14, according to county elections records obtained by this newspaper.
Garrett was first appointed to the post of Washington County Sheriff November 30, 2011 when his predecessor, Rob Gordon, similarly left office before completing his final term in office.
He won his first full term to the office the following May in 2012, and was reelected again in 2016 and 2020.
Prior to his appointment and subsequent election to the post, Garrett spent years with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, first joining the law enforcement agency in 1988, according to information he furnished in the 2012 Washington County Voters’ pamphlet.
He is a U.S. Army veteran, having served in Iraq, and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service. He also served on the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Policy.
Massey, a U.S. Navy veteran according to a filing form, graduated from North Eugene High School and subsequently went on to earn a Bachelors degree in criminal justice from Western Oregon University, and listed no prior government experience in the form.
According to a December 13 2022 press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office detailing Massey’s recent graduation from the FBI National Police Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Massey first joined the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in July 2004, and has served in numerous roles since.
“She began as a Corrections Deputy in the Jail and was promoted to Corporal, Sergeant, and Lieutenant before becoming Commander of the Patrol Division. She has served the Sheriff’s Office in many capacities, including Field Training Officer (FTO), Survival Skills Instructor, Recruitment Sergeant, Jail Lieutenant, and Jail Commander,” the press release noted.
During the September 26 work session, Garrett and Massey plan to give an overview of a basic transition plan and legal obligations when transferring authority.
Garrett also plans to give his rationale for the choice of Massey as his successor, and then the two will take questions from commissioners.
The board could consider Massey’s appointment as early as their October 3 meeting.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
