ORS 206.015: Qualifications of sheriff; certification as police officer; determination of eligibility to be candidate for election to office of sheriff.

(1) A person is not eligible to be a candidate for election or appointment to the office of sheriff unless: (a) The person is 21 years of age or older; (b) The person has at least four years’ experience as a full-time law enforcement officer or at least two years’ experience as a full-time law enforcement officer with at least two years’ post-high-school education; and (c) The person has not been convicted of a felony or of any other crime that would prevent the person from being certified as a police officer under ORS 181A.355 to 181A.689. (2) As used in subsection (1) of this section, “two years’ post-high-school education” means four semesters or six quarters of classroom education in a formal course of study undertaken after graduation from high school in any accredited college or university. The term does not include apprenticeship or on-the-job training. (3) If the person is not certified as a police officer by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training at the time of accepting appointment or filing as a candidate, a person elected or appointed to the office of sheriff must obtain the certification not later than one year after taking office. A copy of the certification shall be filed with the county clerk or the county official in charge of elections. The county governing body shall declare the office of sheriff vacant when the person serving as sheriff is not certified as a police officer within one year after taking office. (4) The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, in consultation with the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training, shall establish a procedure for determining whether an individual is eligible under subsection (1) of this section to be a candidate for election to the office of sheriff. A copy of the department’s determination of an individual’s eligibility to be a candidate for election to the office of sheriff shall be filed with the county clerk or county official in charge of elections not later than the 61st day before the date of the election. If the department determines that the individual is not eligible to be a candidate for election to the office of sheriff, the county clerk or county official in charge of elections shall not place the name of the individual on the ballot at the election. [1971 c.299 §1; 1981 c.808 §5; 1987 c.484 §1; 1993 c.493 §87; 1997 c.853 §35]