HILLSBORO, Ore. — Caprice Massey says she isn’t one for the spotlight; serving others is where she shines. So it's no surprise that the role of Washington County Sheriff only recently came across her radar.
“I didn’t know this was a dream of mine,” she said.
Her career started when she served in the U.S. Navy before she stepped into law enforcement while working in a Virginia jail.
“Then I came home to take care of my parents. I started in the jail here in July of 2004,” said Massey.
For nineteen years, she moved up the ranks at the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
“I asked the sheriff if I could go to the police academy. We hadn’t had much female leadership in the patrol division, and so he sent me down to the police academy and I served as a patrol commander, and then last month I was promoted to undersheriff,” she said.
Her first day as the Washington County Sheriff will be Dec. 1, taking over after Sheriff Pat Garret — who’s held that role for the past 12 years — retires.
“I think I bring an attention to the physical, mental and emotional wellness of our staff, and I know that that will help us provide an even better public safety service to our community. If they are well, they are going to serve well,” Massey said.
However, she said her main focus will be on growing the department.
“We do not have enough staff that work in the jail and the patrol division, but specifically right now with the jail we have two housing units closed, so we do not have a fully functioning jail,” she said.
Massey also said she plans to focus on building trust with the community, something that she described as vital to community safety.
That includes people struggling with homelessness and addiction. Massey said the department has a deputy whose main job is to connect with homeless people, and she believes having law enforcement officers present on the streets is one of the many ways to engage with homeless people.
“I think it’s critical that we are engaging with our houseless community in a way that is not criminal, in a way that shows compassion and empathy and in a way that builds some trust so that people experiencing houselessness know that we are there to support them and help them as opposed to take them to jail…I think the more they encounter deputies who give them a different experience, the more they will build that trust. I understand it took a long time to deteriorate that trust; we’re not going to build it back overnight, but we are committed to it day in and day out,” she said.
That commitment is also happening at the state level. A new committee met for the first time this week to find solutions to the state’s drug and homelessness crises. Massey said she sees that as a step in the right direction, and plans to get involved herself.
“I need that work to be ongoing. I need them to continue to listen to representatives from the law enforcement community, from health and human services… to make sure they are building something that is actually sustainable and will actually help,” she said.