Josephine Co. Sheriff's Office re-instates Detective Division

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A detective division has been re-instated at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office – after being gone for nearly a decade.

For the first time since 2012, the division is staffed with a detective sergeant and a detective.

Sheriff Dave Daniel says the division will also be joining the Josephine County Major Crimes Team Unit. He says the reason the division was deactivated was due to a lack of staffing.

Sheriff Daniel calls re-instating the division ‘a step in the right direction.’

“It’s just not the norm… a sheriff’s office with a population our size and a sheriff’s office of our size should be able to conduct criminal investigations that are a little broader than just your average petty theft or petty crime,” he said.

He says he hopes to expand the division in the future.

Sheriff Daniel says previously, the sheriff’s office would often ask for assistance from Grants Pass and Oregon State Police for help with larger crimes.