Deschutes County, OR
Ashley Beatty is the former Victims’ Assistance Program Manager with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office and has played a key role in the implementation of Oregon’s Extreme Risk law in the county, which has some of the highest usage of ERPO in the state. Compared to other states, a higher percentage of ERPOs in Oregon—nearly one-third—are filed by civilians, suggesting that the support provided by this office to help residents navigate the ERPO process may be yielding a positive outcome.
How does the Victims’ Assistance Program with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office engage with Oregon’s Extreme Risk law?
The Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office assists residents with all kinds of protection orders, including the extreme risk protection order (ERPO), providing information on the law and the process involved in obtaining an order, helping file the petition, attending the initial hearing, if capacity allows, and providing support throughout the process. As a victim advocate, my experience has been positive overall. When I’m coming into contact with individuals, these are usually people who are concerned that their loved ones are in crisis, either a risk to themselves or others, or both, due to gun violence, and they are looking for information about the ERPO. In my many years of working with this law, I have never heard negative feedback from a family member. Most family members and victims feel relief once an ERPO is in place and the guns have been removed from the individual.
Who are the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the law, and how are their efforts coordinated?
Deschutes County has had a multidisciplinary team for many years that meets weekly, serving as an adult threat assessment team and the Victims’ Assistance Program with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office has been an instrumental part of this group. The team includes law enforcement representatives from the Bend Police Department, Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, and Sunriver Police Department. Often, the Oregon State Police attend meetings, as does the FBI. The sole hospital provider in the county, St. Charles, and representatives of the behavioral health community are active participants. Lastly, representatives from the county’s schools and community and state colleges round out the core group of members. This team focuses on individuals who are displaying a threat to the community and are at a potential risk of violence to themself or others. We provide wraparound services to that person with the intention to mitigate any future violence. While utilizing ERPOs is not the sole focus of this group, it is a critical tool in their toolbox.
A unique aspect of Deschutes County is that we have a very involved judiciary who have clearly communicated expected standards in ERPO petitions. The very first ERPO application in Deschutes County was denied. Instead of giving up on the process and the tool altogether, we talked to the bench, who clarified what kind of information they are looking for in these kinds of orders.
We engage with the multidisciplinary team in a number of ways. We provide the victim’s perspective around concerns of gun violence or violence, in general. If we are staffing a survivor that is at an elevated level of concern, for instance, an individual is in the planning stage of committing an act of violence, then we can bring that perspective to law enforcement, with their permission, and make sure that we’re advocating on their behalf and the community’s behalf the best we can. Often, in these situations, we will discuss if an ERPO would be a good tool to utilize in that particular case. In addition to bringing potential EPRO cases to these meetings for discussion, the multidisciplinary team is the other avenue through which my team and I come into contact with individuals who would benefit from an ERPO, often serving as a referral pipeline.
Have there been any trainings and campaigns to raise awareness among key stakeholders?
Unfortunately, there wasn’t any statewide rollout around education or training on the law. However, there have been self-initiated education efforts in the county. These were primarily led by a Bend Police Department officer at the time, Jake Chandler, who was really instrumental in owning knowledge about the ERPO process, creating a training for law enforcement, and ensuring that agencies across the state were educated about this tool and how it could be beneficial, particularly for individuals who are at risk of gun violence. Additionally, he served as a resource to officers navigating the ERPO application process and has conducted educational webinars for community organizations.
Another unique aspect of Deschutes County is that we have a very involved judiciary who have clearly communicated expected standards in protection order applications, including ERPO petitions. Incidentally, the very first ERPO application in Deschutes County was denied. Instead of giving up on the process and the tool altogether, we talked to the bench, who clarified what kind of information they are looking for in these kinds of orders.
What role do ERPOs play in addressing the intersection between guns and domestic violence? What are the types of cases that you see ERPO being used most often?
Typically in domestic violence cases, restraining orders are most frequently used because most survivors are able and willing to come forward and apply for them and can request for an individual to have their weapons removed. However, in certain cases when a survivor doesn’t feel comfortable applying, law enforcement has gotten an ERPO because they’ve seen an individual escalate in their desire to perpetrate violence. What I appreciate about ERPOs is that it allows law enforcement to apply and removes the burden from the survivor or victim in applying for the protection order, in cases where they may not be in a position to take action. As we know, that is an incredibly vulnerable time for a survivor, and at times they do not believe a restraining order will bring a higher level of safety to them. It’s been great for law enforcement to be able to apply for an ERPO when they feel an individual has risen to a particular risk level and the survivor is either unwilling or unable, for any reason, to apply.
In terms of the types of cases ERPOs are being used for, we’re primarily seeing them utilized in cases of threats of violence against others. There are definitely instances where individuals are expressing a desire to harm themselves, and loved ones are applying for ERPOs. But for the most part, if they’re coming across my desk or I’m hearing about them, it’s because there’s a risk of violence to somebody else.
What are some opportunities to strengthen the implementation of this law both in Deschutes County and in Oregon?
My dream is for there to be violence prevention managers in each county. Currently, we have individual services and service providers that are siloed, and then those become poorly utilized. An example of this is Oregon’s secure storage efforts which have been housed under suicide prevention coordinators. Secure storage should be used for so much more than only suicide prevention. By having violence prevention managers, you would centralize ERPO training, outreach, and management efforts, as well as house other gun violence prevention measures, such as secure storage efforts, under one umbrella to ensure broader application and appropriate budget allocation for implementing these policies.
Family members who I have spoken with express the need for tracking of ERPOs, particularly when an order is about to expire or be dismissed, there should be certain steps that an individual has to complete before they can get their weapons back or before the ERPO can be dismissed. Lastly, many stakeholders, including family members, believe that the law should be amended to expand the definition of who can apply.
What advice would you give to other jurisdictions that are starting to implement an ERPO law?
I would say create a multidisciplinary team. It’s really been the best thing for Deschutes County and there’s been some brilliant things that have come out of that. Even opening the lines of communication where a member makes the team aware of someone who is at risk of violence and we’re talking about it after hours and by 8:00 AM the next morning, we already have a plan, we have the ERPO, and it’s getting filed. There’s so much good that can come from including our partners in addressing violence together.
About Ashely Beatty
Ashley Beatty is the former Program Manager for the Victims’ Assistance Program with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office and was working in this capacity for the past 9 years. Her former office helps residents, who are either referred to them or contacted them directly, with understanding which legal remedy, including ERPOs, is best suited to address the crisis they are facing and help them through the process. Her role involved providing information and supportive services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, homicide, elder abuse, child abuse, and property crimes. Prior to this role, she served the State of Oregon for 12 years in a variety of positions within Child Welfare including Child Protective Services worker, Business Analyst, Consultant, Trainer, and Supervisor.