QuickTake:

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office has rehired a deputy after firing him in 2022 for his excessive force against two female inmates with mental health challenges.

Lane County Deputy Randall Broome is back on the job at the county sheriff’s office, more than two years after the agency fired him for excessive use of force with jail inmates. 

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office rehired Broome in January after firing him in October 2022 following two internal investigations that found misconduct and excessive use of force, according to records with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which certifies law enforcement officers.

At its April 24 meeting, the state agency’s board decided not to punish Broome, which allows him to work as a certified law enforcement officer again. The state board’s review was necessary because the sheriff’s office notified the agency when it fired Broome for misconduct. 

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has rehired Broome, who was unavailable for an interview. Broome, a deputy assigned to the jail, started his law enforcement career at the sheriff’s office in 2016 before he was fired in 2022.

“We want to emphasize that the Lane County Sheriff’s Office is committed to treating our employees with fairness, considering all facts and circumstances when making employment decisions,” Sgt. Tim Wallace, a spokesman for the office, said in an email. “We also hold the safety and care of our adults in custody among our highest priorities. If an employee has demonstrated honesty, strength of character, and personal growth, we believe they will be a great asset to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the community we serve.”

This April, when Broome asked the state not to take action against his credentials, he told officials he has taken time to learn more about different approaches in use of force instances and has the support of co-workers.

In two separate instances in 2022, Broome struck the head of inmates in the Lane County Adult Corrections Facility, using force that was not reasonable and could have caused unnecessary harm, state agency records show. The first incident, on Feb. 8, 2022, unfolded when Broome was on a team assigned to transport a female inmate to Oregon State Hospital and she did not want to leave her cell. The hospital treats defendants facing court charges who need mental health care.

The inmate started to spit on him, records show. He attempted to put a spit hood over her head and she bit his thumb, records show. She also continued to move her head to avoid the hood. Broome delivered a blow to the left side of her face and pulled the spit hood over her head, the state agency’s report said.

A lieutenant who reviewed the incident told Broome he could have asked other staff for help rather than strike her, the report said. 

The second incident, on April 9, 2022, involved another female inmate who punched Broome on the side of his face when he went to retrieve laundry from her bunk. He then struck her once in the middle of her face and told an investigator that he followed up with a second set of focused blows when the inmate was not actively fighting him, the report said. 

That inmate, like the first one, also had mental health challenges. But Broome told investigators he did not know about the mental health of the second case. 

After an investigation by an outside agency, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Lane County District’s Attorney charged Broome in November 2022 with misdemeanor harassment in connection with the April 2022 incident. In a bench trial, the court acquitted Broome in August 2024. 

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office fired Broome in October 2022. When he filed a grievance that same month, the sheriff’s office denied it, noting the misconduct created civil liability for the county and a “documented history” of trying to coach Broome in similar situations to avoid poor decision-making and unreasonable use of force. Court records don’t indicate any lawsuits filed over the incidents.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.