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Sheriff Mitch Southwick

OREGON SHERIFF Magazine News

Sheriff Mitch Southwick was elected Baker County Sheriff to replace Troy Hale who did not run for another term.

Sheriff Southwick, 54, began his law enforcement career as a reserve police officer for the city of Pendleton in 1971. From 1972 until his retirement in 2000 Sheriff Southwick was with the Oregon State Police. His OSP career began in Coquille and ended 28 years later as the station commander in Baker where he supervised the troopers in Baker and Grant Counties.

Mitch is a graduate of the Wallowa High School. After graduation he worked as logger and put himself through Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton where he graduated with an Associate degree in Law Enforcement.

He attended the Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, a ten-week program designed to be equivalent to the Federal Bureau of investigation training.

After retirement from Oregon Law Enforcement he volunteered to a two year tour of duty in Kosovo and worked as part of a United Nations international policing force. Southwick rose through the ranks in Kosovo until he was supervising investigations by 850 local officers and 250 international officers in the fledgling nation.

Sheriff Southwick's goal is to make sure that the Baker County Sheriff's Office can provide basic law enforcement presence when and where it's needed. Keeping up the work with the Drug Task Force is also a major priority, too, as are programs connecting sheriff's deputies with youth in the communities. Sheriff Southwick and his wife Paula live in Baker and have a grown daughter Jessica who attends Eastern Oregon University and works as a hotline volunteer.

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OREGON SHERIFF Magazine News

Summer, 2010 -- With enhancement/treatment funds from Measure 57, the Parole and Probation Division has put together an intensive treatment and supervision program for offenders. Offenders qualify for the program if they have been convicted of Measure 57 crimes. In addition to extra treatment options, the funds will provide more ability to supervise and assist these offenders, such as GPS tracking, continuous electronic alcohol monitoring and the ability to have multiple contacts with a Parole/Probation Officer throughout the week. These property crime offenders with underlying drug and alcohol issues, are the toughest to impact and we are optimistic, with our new program, that we will improve positive outcomes with these individuals. We are hopeful that, in the near future, we can also add a treatment program in the jail to compliment the Measure 57 classes and supervision.

Deputy Robb taught DARE classes to students in the Huntington and Haines Schools, ultimately graduating 35 students from the program. Both schools held graduation ceremonies where parents were invited to attend.

Marine Deputy Wayne Paxton, along with Deputy Robb, spent the first week in May educating local area school students aboutmarine safety. The deputies showed videos and talked with the children about water and boat safety. The marine safety class featured a tour of a sheriff's office patrol boat, including a light and siren demonstration. Both programs were successful in educating and providing positive interactions with at least 235 school students as well as their teachers and parents. (Article submitted by Josie Ash, 4th Grade Student at Haines Elementary School.)

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