Detective Gets Probation After Years of ‘Abysmal’ and ‘Serious and Gross Misconduct

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OREGON CITY, Ore. – Former Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office detective Jeffrey Green took a plea deal Thursday over five years of what’s being called “abysmal, serious and gross” misconduct.

Green’s supervisors noted his “poor performance” of not following up on cases or sending evidence to the state crime lab in February 2015. He was ordered to complete reports for work that was already done and suspended from new investigations the next month.

He retired in April 2015, and another detective was later assigned to audit all of Green’s cases. By February 2016, that detective found 40 cases that needed additional work and followups that had allegedly been missed by Green.

When Green’s former superiors looked over those audits, they realized his practices may rise to the level of official misconduct. A third-party consultant told Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office that all supervisors should perform random audits of detectives’ cases.

Green was charged with five counts of official misconduct. In court Thursday, he took a plea deal and was sentenced to a year in probation. He was also ordered to pay a fine, and was forced to give up his certification so he’ll never be able to serve in law enforcement again.

The District Attorney’s Office says Green couldn’t get a stiffer penalty because there’s no crime on the books in Oregon for detectives not properly doing their jobs.

Jaime Smith said he was wrongfully investigated by Green for insurance fraud, and said he’s upset about the punishment Green got.

“With stuff like child abuse he says, ‘Oh I don’t want to look in to it, it’s too hard.’ They’re held to that higher standard, he’s a detective because he’s held to that higher standard, right? To just pick and choose and go through and act inappropriately the way he does I just don’t think it’s right,” Smith said.

Green refused to comment on the case. His wife told KATU News all the accusations are false.