Address:
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
Records Section
225 West Olive Street, Room 203
Newport, OR 97365
Tel: 541-265-4915

Division Commander:
Christie Meister,
Chief Civil Deputy

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
Support Team 2007
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Contents:

Records Section
Visiting Our Office
Criminal Records
Public Records Requests

Property and Evidence Division
Office Hours / Address
Release of Property
Inmate Property Release
Disposal of Firearms and Ammunition

Records Section

Visiting Our Office

The answers to many questions can be obtained from the Sheriff's Office Records Section office, located on the second floor of the County Court House at 225 W. Olive Street in Newport. The Records Section is open to the public 5 days a week (M-F except holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to serve you. We hope the information on this web page might save you a trip in person.

Customer service is a priority for the Records Section and we would appreciate your feedback. Please tell us about your experience with our staff or feel free to make suggestions for improvement to our web page.

Criminal Records

The Records section uses state of the art technology to store, track and retrieve crime related reports from the time a crime is reported until it is fully investigated and prosecuted by Sheriff's Office deputies, administrative staff and detectives.

Public Records Requests

Much of the information that the Sheriff’s Office stores is routinely available to the public for a fee:

Non-criminal accident reports
Some property crimes reports
Tow reports
Litigated reports when released by the District Attorney's Office

The cost for the above reports is $10.00 for a single page report or $15.00 for a multi-page report.

Of course there are exceptions under the law that restrict the release of some records in order to protect juveniles, cases under investigation, the security of the Sheriff’s Office personnel or the facility, etc. Some requests are not readily available without a manager’s approval. The first step in the process is to submit a letter or Records Request form (pdf file*) and to submit the estimated fee. If the information you need is not immediately available, Records Staff will let you know if or when the information is expected to be releasable.

Property and Evidence Division

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Evidence and Property Room is staffed by one civilian Evidence Technician and supervised by the Chief Civil Deputy.

The Property and Evidence Division is responsible for receiving, cataloging, storing, and maintaining all evidence collected during a Sheriff's Office investigation. Evidence may include firearms, weapons, blood samples, urine samples, personal property, found property, and items collected as part of an investigation. The Property Section is also responsible for returning property to the rightful owner at the conclusion of an investigation or, disposing of such in accordance with Oregon Revised Statutes.

The Property & Evidence Division's primary function is to retain evidence for the prosecution of criminal court cases. The unit is also responsible for the proper intake, control, storage, release and/or disposal of all property confiscated, appropriated, seized or otherwise taken into custody by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. This property may include recovered stolen, abandoned, and found property as well as property received for safekeeping.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Property & Evidence Unit is only responsible for property/evidence collected by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. If your property was collected or seized by another law enforcement agency within Lincoln County (for example: Newport Police Department, Oregon State Police, Lincoln City Police Department, Toledo Police Department, LINT, etc.), you will need to contact that agency directly for the disposition of your property.

The Evidence Technician does not have the authority to release property taken as evidence without prior authorization from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office case officer or the Lincoln County District Attorney's Office. The Sheriff's Office Evidence Technician can facilitate the process for release of property, but does not have the authority to determine what property can be released or when it can be released.

OFFICE HOURS
Monday – Friday (except holidays), 8:30 am - 12:00, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Again, property is released by appointment only.
ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER
Lincoln County Courthouse 225 West Olive Street Newport, Oregon 97365 (541) 265-4912.
RELEASE OF PROPERTY
Evidence and property that is no longer needed for court proceedings, and the owner is known, will be released. The Evidence Technician will send a letter stating the property can be picked up to owner's last known address on file in our office or if not current, to the last known address on file with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. Evidence and property used in the commission of a crime such as controlled substances or related instruments and/or contraband, which are unlawfully used or possessed, will be destroyed. Property is released by appointment only. Property will not be released to the owner without photo identification (driver’s license, state ID card, passport, etc.). You may be asked to supply proof of ownership.
INMATE PROPERTY RELEASE
Personal property for someone lodged at the Lincoln County Jail is maintained at that facility. This office is located at 251 West Olive Street, Newport, Oregon. If you have a question regarding inmate property you must call (541) 265-4277 x2610. It is recommended that you contact this office in advance to schedule an appointment to pick up property as paperwork must be completed before any property is released. People booked into the jail with a bag who have been released or transported out of the jail will need to contact the Sheriff's Office Property Technician at (541) 265-4912 within 30 days to make arrangements for release of the property. Unclaimed property will be disposed of according to statute.
DISPOSAL OF FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will dispose of any unwanted firearms and ammunition for the general public upon receiving a signed release. For more information, please contact the staff directly at (541) 265-4912.

*pdf files on this page require Adobe Reader to view. Free download: