For the second time in a year, Multnomah County's sheriff is entangled with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, the state agency that issues certifications to law enforcement officers. A year ago, then-Sheriff Bernie Giusto voluntarily relinquished his police certification before vacating the office to Bob Skipper. With more than two years remaining on Giusto's term in office, Skipper was required to attend the basic police academy because he hadn't worked in the industry since he abruptly left office in 1994 following the passage of Measure 8.

When the agency denied his request for a waiver, Skipper turned to the Legislature for rescue. The quick passage of Senate Bill 344, designed solely and exclusively for Skipper, exempted him from the academy, provided that he attend a two-week refresher course and pass an open-book test. After attending the short course, Skipper failed his test. Twice.

Skipper is now scheduled to attend a grueling 16-week academy in October. But he may not last that long. Because he failed to obtain his certification within the year required by state law, Skipper may be forced to vacate the office by Nov. 6. So Multnomah County voters may get to vote once again for yet another temporary sheriff to finish the end of Giusto's term -- all due to the issue of police certification.

Lost in this embarrassing spectacle is the fact that while state law currently requires all Oregon sheriffs to be police officers, there is no similar requirement for certification in corrections -- the primary focus of the Multnomah County sheriff for the past 25 years. The last six Multnomah County sheriffs have had two things in common. Each was a certified police officer, but none had ever worked a single shift in the county's jails. Yet for fiscal year 2009, 70 percent of the agency's $115 million budget is dedicated to corrections.

Fortunately, county voters may have the opportunity to correct that longstanding deficiency next year. Beginning in September, a bipartisan committee of 17 county electors will meet to review the county's home rule charter for potential changes for referral to county voters. One proposal the charter review committee will consider would require the county's sheriff to be certified in corrections in addition to any other state requirement. If that's approved by voters, Multnomah County will be the first and only county in Oregon to require its sheriff to be certified in that way.

The Oregonian's editorial board noted the emerging corrections function of the Multnomah County sheriff with this observation: "The sheriff today is more warden than either policeman or politician. He runs an overcrowded jail-corrections system and diminishing patrol program. Yet the county's charter calls only for a policeman's credentials for the sheriff. That doesn't make sense." That editorial was published on May 23, 1988.

More than 20 years later, the county's charter remains unchanged. Meanwhile the current 70-year-old sheriff is quickly running out of time to obtain "a policeman's credential" when what the job actually requires is certification and experience in corrections.

Voters should change the county charter to make sense.

Bruce McCain of Northeast Portland is an attorney and former Multnomah County sheriff's captain.