Sheriff's Office - Forest Patrol

Forest Patrol

The Benton County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) Forest Patrol program began January 1, 1993 through a cooperative effort with the Federal government as well as local private forestry companies.

The United States Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and BCSO all share the same goals, specifically to suppress criminal activity and to promote safety and security for the visitors to the public and privately owned forest areas within Benton County.

The Forest Patrol program provides law enforcement services on both public and private forest lands throughout Benton County. A Deputy regularly patrols the forests in four-wheel-drive vehicles, ATV’s, and on foot as necessary. The Deputy is on the lookout for criminal activity pertaining to Trespass, Firearms, Illegal four-wheel-drive off road activity and illegal garbage dumping. Other issues include the theft of: Firewood, Mushrooms, Salal, Bear Grass, Oregon Grape, Fern, and Moss. Although individuals may have obtained permits to harvest these items, frequently the offenders over harvest or harvest in unauthorized areas. These forest products are often used in the floral industry and as an example, Salal exports to Europe amounts to over 200 Million dollars annually.

The Deputy is trained in the Incident Command System (ICS) to assist with emergencies such as search and rescue missions. Additionally, the deputy assists in the eradication of domestically grown marijuana and assists the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Forest Patrol Deputy acts as a liaison between the Sheriff’s Office and the private forest landowners (including Starker Forest, Weyerhaeuser, Small Woodland Association, and many others) and the public partners (Oregon Dept. of Forestry, BLM, USFS, and Oregon State University). Through the generous donations of all of these partners, we have been able to sustain the Forest Patrol program through lean budgetary times. The support of our partners and the specialization of this program have resulted in healthy forests and safe recreational areas for all visitors.