Oregon sheriff: Violent crime incarceration rate alarming

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The sheriff of Oregon’s most populous county is sounding the alarm over a spike in arrests for violent crimes and says the number of people in jail for murder and attempted murder is the highest it has been in nearly 30 years. Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese says in an open letter released Friday that the county is set to tie or surpass murder-related bookings for last year, which saw a dramatic rise in arrests for such crimes. Half the jail’s population is charged with violent felonies such as murder, rape, assault and others that carry mandatory prison sentences upon conviction.