About Us

About Us

Halfway between San Francisco and Seattle, Cottage Grove nestles at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley, where the Cascade Mountains touch Oregon's coastal mountain range. Cottage Grove offers unlimited outdoor activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, and water skiing at two lakes, each about 6 miles from the city center. Cottage Grove is a city of just under 10,000 residents, covering 3.6 square miles.

White settlers came to the area, originally settled by the Kalapuya Indians, sometime after 1810. In 1867, the post office that had originally been established as "a cottage in a little grove of trees" near Creswell, was moved to the west side of the river in Cottage Grove, giving it it's name. With the beginning of the mining boom in 1880, the first mayor and town marshal were elected. Then in 1887, Cottage Grove was incorporated and Samuel Veatch was elected as the first marshal of the new town.

Today the Cottage Grove Police Department consists of the Police Chief, Operations Commander, Support Services Commander, 2 Investigators, 2 Corporals, 11 Patrol Officers, 1 School Resource Officer, 4 Reserve Police Officers and 1 Parking Control Officer.

In addition there are 6 Support Services personnel which include 5 full-time Communications Specialists and 1 Reserve Communications Specialist who provide 24-hour Police dispatch and 911 Call Taking for Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

There are also 2 Records Clerks, 1 Administrative Aide and 1 Peer Court Coordinator for juveniles.

The department also maintains an 8 cell - 16 bed Municipal Jail that provides Corrections Services for the Cottage Grove Municipal Court and 2 holding cells for temporary housing of persons in custody on non-criminal charges such as detoxification or who are waiting to be transferred to other correctional facilities.

The Police Department is also home to the South Lane 911 Center, responsible for dispatching Police as well as 911 Call Taking for Fire and Emergency Medical Services throughout a 900 square mile area. The Cottage Grove Police are dispatched within the city limits, with the surrounding county area served by The Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police.