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 9,275 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, 1 Investigator, 4 Corporals, 9 Patrol Officers, and
1 School Resource Officer. In addition there are 14 Administrative and Support Services personnel, which include 1 Administrative Aide, 1 Peer Court Coordinator for juveniles, 5 Communications Specialists, 2 Record Clerks, and 5 Reserve Officers. These personnel provide full-time, 24-hour police coverage with a full-time dispatch center for Police, Fire and Ambulance. The department also maintains a 4 cell Municipal Jail and holding facility and provides police services for the Cottage Grove Municipal Court.

The Police Department is also home to the South Lane 911 Center, responsible for dispatching Police, Fire and Ambulance 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.