Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell is an American law enforcement officer who currently serves as the 41st Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon, the county where Portland is located.[1][2] She is the first woman to serve as sheriff in the county's history.
Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
| 41st Sheriff of Multnomah County | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Reese |
| Undersheriff of Multnomah County | |
| In office August, 2022 – January 4, 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | University of Portland |
Career
editMorrisey O'Donnell attended the University of Portland.[3] She started at the Sheriff's office in 1996 as a Deputy, before being promoted to lieutenant, captain, chief deputy and undersheriff.[1] She ran for Sheriff in 2022, facing Captain Derrick Peterson and Corrections Deputy Nicholas Alberts, both employees of the Sheriff's Office.[4][5] On May 17, 2022 Morrisey O'Donnell was elected with 62% of the vote.[6]
Multnomah County Sheriff
editMorrisey-O'Donnel was sworn in as Sheriff on January 4, 2023, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the county's history.[7]
In August 2023, Morrisey-O'Donnel issued a directive clarifying that the county jail would only book suspects accused of felony and misdemeanor offenses, not those violating city ordinances.[8] In late July 2024, when Portland Police made the first arrest under a policy restricting times and places where homeless residents could camp on public property, the sheriff's office declined to book the suspect pursuant to this directive.[8] After criticism from Mayor Wheeler, Morrisey-O'Donnel defended the policy arguing that the corrections system should be used for individuals who pose a genuine danger to the public.[9] On August 20, 2024, Morrisey-O'Donnel agreed to begin booking people accused of violating the ordinance for a 120 day trial period while evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of the new approach.[10]
Personal life
editMorrisey O'Donnell lives in Portland with her husband. She is a long-time supporter of Special Olympics Oregon.[11]
She cites her father's near-death experience during an armed robbery as a primary reason for her choice to become a law enforcement officer.[11]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell | 110,796 | 61.7 | |
| Nonpartisan | Derrick Peterson | 60,561 | 33.7 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nicholas Alberts | 7,487 | 4.2 | |
| Write-in | 794 | 0.4 | ||
| Total votes | 179,638 | 100% | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "New Multnomah County sheriff sworn in, the first woman in the job". opb. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "First female sheriff of Multnomah County Sheriff's Office sworn in". kgw.com. 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell sworn in as Multnomah County Sheriff; first woman to hold the office in the organization's near 170 year history". Multnomah County. 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Egener, Max. "Meet the candidates for Multnomah County sheriff". PortlandTribune.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Zielinski, Alex. "After Previous Rejection, Sheriff Candidate Peterson Approved to Obtain Law Enforcement Certification". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Gaitán, Catalina (17 May 2022). "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell wins historic Multnomah County sheriff's race". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "New Multnomah County sheriff sworn in, the first woman in the job". Oregon Public Broadcasting. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b Peel, Sophie (29 July 2024). "Sheriff's Office Declines to Book First Person Arrested by Portland Police for Violating City's Camping Rules". Willamette Week. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Shaikh, Zaeem (31 July 2024). "Multnomah County sheriff defends decision not to jail 1st person arrested for violating Portland's camping rules". The Oregonian. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Zielinski, Alex (20 August 2024). "Multnomah County sheriff agrees to jail people under Portland camping policy, for now". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell | Multnomah County Sheriff's Office". www.mcso.us. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell". ballotpedia.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.