Making a Difference

Gil Gilbertson, 62, elected to his first term as Josephine County Sheriff in 2006, is currently seeking re-election. His decision to run for office was rooted in the deep satisfaction he has experienced over a lengthy military and law enforcement career. He believed that his extensive experience in training police officers and building security forces in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq uniquely qualified him to restructure public safety services in a county facing a significant loss of federal funding in a challenging economic climate.

A career in law enforcement caught Gilbertson's eye after ending his first stint in the military. Joining the hometown Waterloo, Iowa Police in 1975, he maintained a twenty-year relationship with the Department garnering wide experience as Jailer, Patrol Officer, Instructor, Diver, as well as a member of the Bomb Squad Tactical Team, and a Reserve Officer. Along the way, he picked up an AA degree in Police Science and a BA degree in Public Administration. Gil also provided relative instruction to both military and civilian law enforcement worldwide for many years.

After leaving the Waterloo Police, Gil committed himself to additional military service, including tours in the Army Infantry and Military Police, Weapons System Security in the Air Force, and the Navy as a Radioman, Diver and Black Beret. When civil war came to Bosnia and Kosovo, so did Gilbertson, serving in various senior command positions with the International Police Task Force (IPTF), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the United States Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (USKDOM). Finally, in 2005 he served providing badly needed security to Katrina ravaged New Orleans, and war torn Iraq.

By then Gil had built a home in Josephine County, met and married local girl Diann in 2004, and became an instant family man. He grew increasingly concerned over conditions surrounding the local Sheriff's Office. Looming funding shortfalls and the resulting challenges to office morale, along with less than ideal community relations, seemed like familiar "opportunities." He wanted to make a life-long home in Josephine County and thought he could help. Gilbertson's belief has been that transparency in all office matters would be essential to a successful tenure. Early on, he sought out a diverse group of advisors from the community to form a Sheriff's Advisory Council (SAC) to provide him a sounding board for discussion and advice on financial and operational matters. He did not previously know all of these individuals, nor had they all supported him in his first election campaign. What they did have were a diverse set of skills and a history of community involvement. He granted them open access to all office personnel and the opportunity to set their own agenda. Forming this group continues to pay dividends.

His perspective that the Sheriff's Office belongs to the people of Josephine County led to the next logical step, reporting to the "boss." Gilbertson initiated recurring reports to the citizens on the status and activities of the Sheriff's Office at televised Board of Commissioner meetings. The reports are posted in the Sheriff's Office lobby and available on the County's website.

He believes that accountability is a cornerstone of any successful agency. Gil established performance benchmarks for everyone, including himself. Gil commented, "Continuous focus on core values and development of measuring tools ensure allactivities are directed toward increased professionalism, sound fiscal management practices and service to our stakeholders, the community." Being visible, accessible and an active part of the community were also part of his plan. Gil has aggressively sought to build bridges and communication channels to all parts of the community. It frequently keeps him on the move way past normal office hours. Even so, "I really do enjoy the job, except the politics that comes with the role as an elected official," he acknowledges.

The County's funding problems were rooted in the history of a declining Southern Oregon timber industry. First timber, then related Federal subsidies (O&C funds) had paid for essential services for generations. Grants Pass, the largest city in the County, has a significantly more dependable revenue stream and higher service levels, but funding county jail operations and rural patrols is a huge problem. Related service levels had been declining for years.

At least part of the problem was trying to convince those Grants Pass city dwellers to subsidize rural patrols when they separately paid for adequate services. Gilbertson thought he found a solution for the 2008 election in a "split two taxing district system" successfully implemented in Deschutes County, Oregon. One district would include the whole county and pay for the jail, civil, and administrative functions, while the other district would exclude Grants Pass and pay for rural patrol and investigations. Residents would only pay for the services benefiting them and rural residents could control whether they wanted expanded patrols. In a perfect storm of an economic spiral, high local unemployment and a strong fiscally conservative political element, the proposal was defeated. The County continues to search for a politically viable solution. Economic conditions on Federal, State and local levels, job creation and a workable model for funding the County remain significant issues.

With the reality of funding shortfalls never far from mind, Gil continues to place a high priority on finding ways to make his Office more time and cost efficient. He has initiated a program to streamline operations to be as close to paperless as possible, with significant results. He implemented the use of postcards for all non-legal inmate mail cutting the time required to scrutinize the mail. A switch to cold cereal breakfast with hot meals for lunch and dinner further reduced jail-operating costs. Due to lacking resources and the state of economy, his Office obtained several used patrol vehicles at substantial savings. He is also considering a "Pay-To-Stay" program to recoup costs from convicted inmates, utilizing a vender to do the work and avoid any additional cost to the county. Inmates are only charged if convicted; with collection deferred until after release. Even if the collections come much later, or at a low percentage of the billed amount, it is all good news to the county coffers.

Not one to let grass grow under his feet, Gilbertson even sees opportunity in the sizable patches of green surrounding the county jail. He is working on plans to have inmate work crews cut the grass for an estimated savings of $20,000 per year, and to have inmates use some of that ground to grow vegetables for their own meals or donation to local food banks. One thing Gilbertson would really like to see changed in the criminal justice system would be to have fewer people arrested. "We deal with people on the worst days of their lives; I'd like to see more people helped before it comes to that." Toward that end, Gilbertson is a big advocate of community oriented policing, with a cop on the beat who knows his community and its people. He has gone as far as directing patrol officers to get out of their vehicles for ten minutes every hour to interact with local businesses and residents. He observes, "People get to know and trust us, we get to know them?" The future is never far from Gil's mind. He knows the greatest threat to public safety in Josephine County is economic. As with most southern Oregon communities suffering from dwindling timber harvests and reluctance of the federal government to continue O&C subsidy payments, a viable model to fund essential county services is overdue. He, and the Board of County Commissioners, continue searching for the elusive silver bullet for that problem.

Josephine County

Sheriff
Gil Gilbertson