Curry County Oregon

Public Safety

In Curry County, the safety of the public is always the highest priority.  Our law enforcement organizations work together in coordinating their efforts to ensure public safety.  The Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction over businesses and residents located outside the city limits within the county, and each city has their own police department with jurisdiction within the city limits.  The U.S. Coast Guard is uniquely tasked with protecting the coast from both man-made threats and natural threats.  In addition, public safety efforts are also coordinated with the Oregon State Police when necessary.  For contact information on our local law enforcement agencies, click on Government in the Guide section on the right side of this page.

Visitors and new residents on the Oregon coast for the first time may be concerned when they see signs along the lower elevations of the highway that warn they are entering a Tsunami Hazard Zone.  No need to worry though, tsunamis are a RARE occurance in Oregon!  Since 1812, Oregon has experienced about a dozen tsunamis with wave heights greater than 3 feet.  The last notable tsunami in Curry County was in 1964, when waves reached 11 feet high.  We do want you to be prepared, though, if you are here on the first day of any month you will hear a Tsunami Alert System Test in each of the cities.  At 5 p.m. on the 1st of every month, the tsunami sirens blast for five (5) seconds, then lull down; blast again for another 5 seconds, then lull again; and the test will last for three(3) minutes.  Don't panic, it's just a test!  If there were an actual tsunami happening, the siren would continue to blast for more than 3 minutes. For more information on tsunamis and how to prepare for them, please read this brochure .

For those citizens who wish to be part of the public safety solution, we have volunteer groups that you may wish to join.  There is the Curry County Law Enforcement Blue Ribbon Committee, which is comprised of citizens from each area of the county.  Also, The Citizens For Emergency Preparedness meet regularly, and their meetings are advertised in the local newspapers.  For contact information on these and other civic organizations, refer to our Community Organizations/Civic Organizations listing.