Over the past two years the City of Depoe Bay has been discussing and organizing funding to bring a dedicated law enforcement presence back into the city. The city has not had a dedicated law enforcement presence since the early 1990s when Sheriff Landers (at the time Deputy Landers) fulfilled the previous Depoe Bay contract.
The agreed upon cost for the year of service would be $176,555 that was paid in November 2022. There is not cost to the county general fund to add the patrol deputy according to Sheriff Landers. Sheriff Landers said his office has been doing an excellent job in hiring and recruiting officers that are already trained from other areas or transferring to the Sheriff's Office from local law enforcement. There are currently 4 new hires and some have graduated from the academy.
Depoe Bay Mayor Short explained that Depoe Bay wants to do what they can to protect their citizens. They have seen an increase in car and home break-ins recently and they are looking forward to working with the Sheriff's Office to try to resolve public safety issues. County Commissioners were supportive of the contract to help support the city of Depoe Bay. Starting this month Depoe Bay community members and visitors can expect to see Patrol Deputy, Casey Elfstrom, as they go about their business.
