Central Point, Ore. — One day after that draft report looking into allegations of discrimination was released, Sheriff Corey Falls is addressing it. He said the findings are one-sided, that none of the sheriff’s office employees were interviewed, and the manner in which it was released even validates his concerns.
“It’s called the ‘Falls Discussion Draft,'” Sheriff Falls said. “Now you don’t see that online because it just starts out on page one.”
Falls is talking about an original paper copy of the draft review of complaints Sheriff Corey Falls made against county officials in 2015. The physical result, after Sheriff Falls said he experienced micro-aggressions, derogatory comments, demeaning behavior and bullying after he was elected.
“I knew going in, that there was the perception of a ‘good ole boy’ network, I absolutely think there is within Jackson County.”
Sheriff Falls specifically notes problems with county administrator Danny Jordan, that excessive “mentoring” meetings were taking place.
“I started asking other officials, ‘is this normal, is this normal with you guys, because this is what I’m getting,’ and other officials are saying ‘no, we don’t have that, we don’t have that,’ and I’m thinking to myself, why is this so excessive with me?”
The draft suggests white privilege could be a factor, citing American history, and using terms like “slave patrol” and “slave catchers.” It was a twist that shocked Falls.
“How did we get from my original complaint to this?” Falls questioned. “I thought that was odd, certainly to have that verbiage in there.”
Sheriff Falls said the entire process has been humiliating, but it’s not something he’d take back.
“I will regret it if nothing good comes of it,” Falls said. “The amount of people that have said, ‘thank you for speaking up, these types of things have happened to me, these types of things have happened to me in this county, these types have happened to me as an employee in Jackson County, and I didn’t say anything, thank you for standing up,’ that to me is worth it.”
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