Columbia County
54,091 people, served by 8 police agencies that report to the FBI.
How a case moves here
Columbia County follows Oregon law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.
- Who decides release first
Before arraignment, the jail releases people under a standing order written by the presiding judge of each judicial district, or a release assistance officer appointed by that judge decides. At arraignment, a judge makes the release decision. The standing order sets recognizance and conditional release, not dollar amounts.
ORS 135.233, 135.235, 135.240, 135.245Oregon Chief Justice Order 24-014, Release Guidelines (May 22, 2024)- Time to see a judge
A person held in custody must be arraigned within the first 36 hours of custody, not counting weekends and holidays, unless there is good cause or the defendant asks for more time.
ORS 135.010- Money bail
Senate Bill 48, in effect since July 1, 2022, ended security (money bail) schedules that applied right after arrest. A judge may still require security at arraignment after finding that release on recognizance or conditions is unwarranted.
Oregon Chief Justice Order 24-014, Release Guidelines (May 22, 2024)ORS 135.233- Courts
Circuit courts are Oregon's state trial courts and try all felonies and most misdemeanors. Some counties also have justice courts, and some cities have municipal courts; both may hear misdemeanors committed in their area but not felonies.
ORS 51.050ORS 221.339- Judges and magistrates
Voters elect circuit judges on a nonpartisan ballot to six-year terms, and judges must be members of the Oregon State Bar. Justices of the peace are elected to six-year terms. A justice of the peace must be a bar member or complete a judicial course, except in justice courts of record, where bar membership is required.
Or. Const. art. VII (amended), sec. 1ORS 3.050ORS 254.005ORS 51.210, 51.240
Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. Which judicial districts use a risk tool, and which one, was not checked.
What this county does differently
Nothing county-specific yet
Cities and towns
- St. Helens14,258
- Scappoose8,179
- Vernonia2,786
- Clatskanie2,364
- Rainier2,130
- Columbia City2,006
- Prescott34
Every city, village, town, and township with any of its land in Columbia County, largest first. Population, the whole place's: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024.
Police agencies
- Columbia County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county police25,046 served
- St. Helens Police DepartmentCity police department14,602 served
- Scappoose Police DepartmentCity police department8,349 served
- Vernonia Police DepartmentCity police department2,440 served
- Columbia City Police DepartmentCity police department1,948 served
- Rainier Police DepartmentCity police department1,938 served
- Liquor Commission: Columbia CountyOther state agency
- State Police: Columbia CountyState police agency
Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.
Crime
The crime index
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Per 100k | Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 123 | 120 | 105 | 98 | 126 | 212 | 338 |
| Murder | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 4.2 | |
| Rape | 23 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 28 | 43 |
| Robbery | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 61 |
| Aggravated assault | 93 | 99 | 84 | 81 | 106 | 172 | 230 |
| Property crime | 593 | 574 | 474 | 303 | 298 | 833 | 2,567 |
| Burglary | 79 | 101 | 87 | 49 | 36 | 131 | 326 |
| Larceny | 397 | 353 | 305 | 214 | 218 | 552 | 1,851 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 117 | 120 | 82 | 40 | 44 | 150 | 390 |
| Arson | 7 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 31 |
Outside the crime index
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Per 100k | Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All offenses outside the crime index | 728 | 540 | 612 | 508 | 495 | 1,071 | 2,390 |
| Simple assault and intimidation | 241 | 199 | 234 | 186 | 202 | 394 | 685 |
| Vandalism | 172 | 141 | 135 | 88 | 84 | 230 | 741 |
| Fraud | 74 | 51 | 63 | 53 | 50 | 108 | 381 |
| Drug abuse violations | 91 | 47 | 55 | 60 | 62 | 117 | 233 |
| Weapons: carrying, possessing, etc. | 72 | 47 | 54 | 60 | 62 | 110 | 140 |
| Stolen property: buying, receiving, possessing | 20 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 23 | 31 |
| Forgery and counterfeiting | 23 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 25 | 68 |
| Embezzlement | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 6.1 |
| Sex offenses (except rape and prostitution) | 12 | 9 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 24 | 49 |
| Prostitution and commercialized vice | 1 | 2 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 7.9 | |||
| Other Group A offenses | 20 | 16 | 21 | 23 | 11 | 34 | 47 |
| Manslaughter by negligence (not in the total) | 1 | 2 | 1 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 1.2 | ||
| Human trafficking (not in the total) | 1 | Too few for a rate: the count is under 20. | 1 |
Offenses agencies in Columbia County reported to the FBI in incident detail (NIBRS), each year, the second table by the arrest class each offense falls in. Per 100k: offenses per 100,000 people the reporting agencies police, 2021 to 2025 added together, beside Oregon's rate over the same years. Agencies that reported part of a year are counted with their people, as the state's rates count them. – means too few for a rate: the count is under 20.
Source: FBI NIBRS national master files, each agency's offenses and the FBI's population for it. Oregon: the crime index: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CrimeDB's chosen value per year (the state page's figures); outside it: FBI NIBRS, agencies that sent incident detail.