News/Press Release

On 8/22/20 at about 1:40 pm the Sheriff's Office received a call about a juvenile clinging to a branch in the Willamette River just north of the Buena Vista Ferry. The caller advised that the child and his father were caught up in ropes and that the father was holding the child above water. Marine Patrol deputies responded with jet skis and were able to safely get both to shore, then returned to collect the equipment.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office used federally funded overtime to put extra deputies on patrol in an enforcement campaign to bring attention to distracted driving, speeding, and seat belt usage. The goal was to reduce the risk of traffic crashes and injuries resulting from crashes. The campaign ran from August 2 through 8, 2020.

Agreement with Alyrica to Expand Rural Broadband

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 26th, 2020

Please follow our Public Health page for continuous updates on Polk County's COVID-19 cases and other information you may find helpful.

https://www.co.polk.or.us/ph 

On June 11, 2020 the Board of Commissioners were notified that the Governor would not be approving any requests to move to phase 2 reopening at this time. She has put a 7 day pause on approving these requests and will re-evaluate next Wednesday, June 17th. 

On Wednesday May 20, Governor Brown announced that Polk County was approved for the first phase of reopening. This allows the limited reopening of:
- Restaurants and bars
- Salons,and barber shops, massage, etc.
- Gyms or workout centers
- Shopping malls

These businesses need to follow protocols of cleaning and physical distancing, among others. For more information visit the page: https://govstatus.egov.com/reopening-oregon#phase1

On May 11, 2020, Polk County, acting as the local Public Health authority, submitted its application for phased re-opening to the Governor's Office and Oregon Health Authority. 

The application addresses the re-opening criteria and guidelines set forth by the State. This application is PENDING approval by the Oregon Health Authority until further notice. 

Polk County will be re-evaluated again on Wednesday, May 20th.