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Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell

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Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell
41st Sheriff of Multnomah County
Assumed office
January 4, 2023
Preceded byMike Reese
Undersheriff of Multnomah County
In office
August, 2022 – January 4, 2023
Personal details
Alma materUniversity of Portland

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.

Career

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Morrisey 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

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Morrisey-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

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Morrisey 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

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2022 Multnomah County Sheriff Election[12]
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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ Egener, Max. "Meet the candidates for Multnomah County sheriff". PortlandTribune.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "New Multnomah County sheriff sworn in, the first woman in the job". Oregon Public Broadcasting. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell | Multnomah County Sheriff's Office". www.mcso.us. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell". ballotpedia.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.