Deschutes County Sheriff Ty Rupert kicks off series of community town hall meetings Thursday in La Pine
KTVZ
(Adding video and quotes from Sheriff Ty Rupert and La Pine Resident Jamie Donahue)
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff’s office held its first of a multi-city town hall tour.
The town hall on Thursday was about re-establishing trust between the Sheriff’s office and Residents of Deschutes County.
Trust which was broken after years of turmoil.
This town hall was a step in the right direction.
Sheriff Ty Rupert spoke about earning the publics trust during the town hall.
Sheriff Rupert said, “so I ask you not to trust me right now because I’m a person I trust, I’m a person of my word. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, but you give me time, and I can assure you that I will show you that you can trust me and that you can trust our office.”
Throughout the evening, Sheriff Rupert spoke about his history with the department, his goals for the future, and overhauling the culture of the department.
During the question and answer portion of the event, residents shared their frustrations about the department, and specifically how they feel like they’re left behind.
“There’s a lot of changes last year. It feels like we got stripped of everybody that we cared for. wholehearted call them family. They all knew who we were. Our seniors felt comfortable with their people. They knew they felt comfortable there,” Jamie Donahue, La Pine Seniors and Activity Center Executive Director said at the Townhall “I just feel that our community has lost a lot.”
While there was some tension on Thursday, the evening ended with a moment that was as heartwarming as it was meaningful; a hug between a frustrated resident of La Pine and the Sheriff.
A hug to rebuild that trust that’s been lost.
Thursdays town hall was just stop one on the multi-city tour of deschutes county.
But Sheriff Rupert told KTVZ his goal for this tour is to rebuild trust with the community
At the end of the event, the Aheriff announced that he’d be seeking a full “elected” term as Sheriff of Deschutes County,
But he was quick to mention, the election is not his first priority. Rather his priority is the stability of the department.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is launching a series of community town hall meetings, beginning with the first event in La Pine on Thursday evening from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the La Pine Senior & Activity Center.
Hosted by Sheriff Ty Rupert, these town halls provide an opportunity for residents to engage directly with the Sheriff’s Office, ask questions, share concerns, and offer ideas to help shape the future of public safety in their communities, the agency said Wednesday.
“I believe in being open, honest, and real with the people we serve,” Rupert said. “We work for the taxpayers, and they deserve to have direct access to their Sheriff. These town halls are about rebuilding trust, hearing what’s on people’s minds, and understanding directly from citizens on how we can better serve them.”
Following the La Pine event, additional town halls are planned in Sunriver, Sisters, Terrebonne, and Bend. Dates and times for those meetings will be announced soon.
For updates on future town hall dates and locations, visit sheriff.deschutes.org or follow the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office on social media.