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On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett was sworn-in for his third term as Sheriff. The ceremony took place during a morning work session of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
Sheriff Garrett has been with the Washington County Sheriff's Office since 1988 when he started as a Recruit Deputy in the Patrol Division. Since then, he has held every uniformed rank and earned state certification in both police and corrections.
During the commissioner work session, Sheriff Garrett thanked voters for having confidence in him to continue serving as their Sheriff.
"It's important that as individuals, organizations, and communities, we know what's worth fighting for. 2020 made us all think about this, and we found ourselves fighting for equity, connections, community, safety, change, and the democratic process. As your Sheriff, I fight for our community's crime victims and survivors; for public safety services that are just, fair, and equitable; for community trust through professional public safety service, excellent training and partnerships; and for our staff who put their lives on the line daily with the community's best interests at heart." said Sheriff Garrett.
"One of many appreciated characteristics of Sheriff Garrett's approach to his job has been his successful use of a continuous improvement model in managing his multifaceted organization," said Board of Commissioners Chair Kathryn Harrington after the ceremony. "We are honored to continue to have Pat Garrett serving with us here in the community."
Sheriff Garrett holds a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University and a master's degree from Portland State University. He also served our country in the United States Army Reserve, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Sheriff Garrett was activated twice since 2003 and spent a year in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom on a provincial reconstruction team.
Sheriff Garrett lives in Hillsboro with his wife, Coleen. They have two children.
Tuesday morning's ceremony is available to view on the Washington County YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/WashingtonCntyOregon
In other command-level changes, Undersheriff Shawn Fischer is retiring on January 9, and will be succeeded by current Chief Deputy John Koch. Services Commander Al Roque will be promoted to one of two Chief Deputy positions, alongside Chief Deputy Karlyn Degman.