Magill files for sheriff seat

“There were people who thought I was crazy when I told them in 2002 that I was leaving the private sector for law enforcement because I wanted to serve, but it was true then and it still is,” said Magill.

“I like solving crimes and helping people find solutions to problems.”

He said Eiesland’s trust in his leadership abilities has enabled him to supervise employees and help set the $2 million annual budget for general operations, in addition to the $950,000 budget for the emergency dispatch center, $53,000 for marine patrols, $100,000 for emergency management activities and $850,000 for community corrections.

Magill also participates in strategic planning sessions, purchases vehicles and supervises three office staff, 18 patrol deputies and 11 dispatchers.

He assists Eiesland with the supervision of five probation/parole officers and four reserve deputies.

He also supervises 15-16 posse members and the Wasco County work crew and assists with the coordination of search and rescue activities.

He reviews proposals for major events, helps oversee regional jail operations and serves on the local domestic violence prevention council.

“Sheriff Eiesland has given me free rein in a lot of areas and I’m very, very appreciative,” said Magill. “He’s given me advice in areas I didn’t understand and taught me the public budgeting process.

“I have been invited to sit in department head meetings and introduced to the jail processes and programs, which are very complex.

All of this experience has set the stage for a seamless transition between administrations.”

Eiesland also prepared Magill for leadership by sending him in 2013 to the 10-week FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

As one of 267 members of Class 252, Magill had the opportunity to build a lasting network with law enforcement officials from around the world. He also received crime-solving lessons from top forensic experts.

“I was assigned nine term papers within the first week of the academy so I didn’t leave the base for the first three weeks because I was so busy doing research,” he said.

The end result of the special training, he said, is that he can call on classmates across the country and beyond when he needs resources to help solve a case.

The FBI holds only four of the professional development courses per year so Magill felt humbled to be selected for participation.

“They covered everything you can imagine,” he said. “It really taught me how to be a leader in the area of law enforcement as well as build a case.”

Magill was born and raised in Wamic, the third generation of the family to farm in the area. He was raised with the ethos “How you do things is just as important as what you get done,” a value that he embraces.

“My job is to give them (employees) the resources they need to do their job in the way that best serves citizens and gives taxpayers the most bang for their buck,” he said.

In 2001 he was running a business, a septic tank service with six employees, when he was approached about going from reserve status into a full-time career as a deputy.

“It doesn’t matter what I’ve done in life, I’ve always been content with that so it was kind of hard at first to think about making that big of a career change,” said Magill.

He sat down with his wife, Sheri, and their two children to discuss the issues involved with a law enforcement job, such as the shift work and potential danger.

Since God and family top Magill’s list of priorities, he wanted to be sure the change in occupation was something everyone was in agreement with.

“I wanted to make sure we all understood what this job was going to take,” he said. “When you step into this type of career, it becomes a lifestyle – you don’t just show up and collect a paycheck.”

Once he knew that his family was supportive of the decision, Magill pinned on his badge for full-time work on Jan. 1, 2002.

Within seven years he had risen through the ranks to become a sergeant and was appointed as chief deputy in March of 2011.

If elected as sheriff, he will be the second one in the family to serve in that capacity. His father, John Magill, was sheriff of Wasco County from 1976 to 1981.

Magill’s plans are to build upon the existing structure and look for new ways to create efficiencies, streamline processes and improve service delivery.

“Sheriff’s offices are statutorily mandated to provide certain services to citizens and we need to always be looking at better ways to do that,” he said.

“I see good law enforcement as an economic development issue as well – our job is to create the infrastructure where people can live, work and play in a safe environment.”

Toward that end, he believes the strong partnerships formed between the sheriff’s office, The Dalles Police Department and Oregon State Police are greatly beneficial.

“We work really well together and that helps all of us do a better job of protecting people,” he said.

Magill feels that more work needs to be done to keep children from single-parent families away from criminal behavior.

He would like to find a way for churches, community members and civic organizations to help out in these situations.

“I believe a large percentage of societal problems go back to the break-up of the family,” he said. “When mom is working three jobs to put food on the table because dad isn’t taking his responsibility, then the children are going to end up being neglected.”

The other big concern for Magill is veteran care and he has compiled a list of resources that can be handed out when deputies encounter troubled individuals.

The suicide of a veteran that he knew several years ago brought the issue home to Magill that 22 veterans are reported by the Pentagon to kill themselves each day because they can’t cope with the aftermath of war.

During a break from the FBI training in 2013, Magill visited Arlington National Cemetery on a bitter cold day to take rubbings of 16 headstones for the Gorge Heroes Club to distribute to Army, Marine and Navy SEAL families.

“It has always been a big regret that I didn’t serve,” he said. “I feel that I owe whatever assistance I can provide to those who did and to the families of the fallen.”

He had the opportunity to meet Monica McNeal, the mother of USMC Lcpl. Eric Ward, 19, who was killed in Afghanistan on Feb. 21, 2010, and present her with a framed copy of her son’s gravestone rubbing.

“He and the other men buried at Arlington became the face of war for me,” said Magill.

He is on the board for Outdoor Adventures with Military Heroes and helps take disabled veterans on hunting and salmon fishing trips each year.

He also enjoys raising funds each year for Special Olympics through the “Tip a Cop” program where law enforcement officials wait on customers at Spooky’s Restaurant.

“Wasco County has given me so much, I need to give back where I can,” Magill said.

“Compassion for our fellow man is what makes America great – we don’t want to lose that.”