Rod Englert received a Bachelor's degree in Police Administration from California State University at Los Angeles and has done post-graduate work in psychology. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, where he was President of the 159th Session. Rod Englert is the author of Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist.

Publishers Weekly said of Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist, “Proving that one person's bloody mess is another's treasure trove of clues, blood spatter analyst Englert takes readers on a fascinating journey into the study of crimson drops. Englert's first encounter with blood—and the stories it can tell—came when, as a young cop, he mistakenly assumed a bloody corpse had been the victim of an ax attack; in reality the victim had succumbed to a particularly nasty case of bleeding ulcers. He educated himself about the behavior of blood by recreating crime scenes in his Oregon barn using cow's blood and attending every available seminar on the subject. Englert presents case studies for each principle he discusses, from the varying velocities of blood spatter to the trajectory of a killer's bullet. It's easy to see why he's a favorite expert witness of prosecutors around the country, even in celebrity cases like O.J. Simpson's and Robert Blake's. With the help of reporter Passero, Englert deftly balances real-life examples and detailed scientific analysis, giving readers a richer understanding of this developing avenue of forensic science.”

Booklist said of Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist, “This book is rather less colorful and intriguing than the ghastly Jackson Pollock look-alikes with which blood-spatter analyst Englert works. Still, it’s highly instructive about his methods, which are the opposite of a perp’s, hence more like Pollock-boosting critic Clement Greenberg’s than the painter’s. Painter and perp are each telling stories through apparently random spattering; critic and analyst are each trying to read them. An early chapter relates how Englert’s acquisition of a cattle-raising operation inspired his interest in blood patterns. With Passero’s aid, he writes lovingly of the intricate splatter patterns resulting from slaughtering, which, once he noted them, he studied. Readers may be challenged by this particular bit of scene-setting, but plowing through it stands one in good stead when discussion turns to the case histories of famous bloody cases. Pretty good as entertainment, this book also has backgrounding value for true-crime and crime-fiction fans in its revelatory detail about the particular component of criminal investigation on which it focuses.”

Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist Rod Englert  More Info

About the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Organizationally, the two largest divisions in the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office are the Corrections Division and the Enforcement Division.  The Corrections Division includes the Corrections Emergency Response Team.  According to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, In 1997, Sheriff Dan Noelle directed Chief Deputy Jeannie King to develop a Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT). With the ever-growing jail population and incarceration of more violent offenders due to population releases, a unit was needed in the event of an emergency in one of the many correctional facilities. After a rigorous selection process, which includes a physical agility test designed for real world situations, CERT members attend a school designed for CERT units. CERT units differ from SERT/SWAT units as their missions mostly occur within correctional facilities. MCSO CERT has extended their service to the community by developing other responses outside of facilities.

In 1998 the MCSO CERT was activated. Two months after activation, CERT was dispatched to a potential hostage situation at the Juvenile Corrections Facility in Multnomah County. After a six hour stand off, the “green light” was given for CERT to retake the area that had been taken over by four juvenile suspects, who had destroyed the area and armed themselves with weapons found in a common office area, including paper cutter blades. The situation was resolved, with the assistance of the Portland Police Bureau, Portland Fire Bureau and the MCSO CERT Unit. No major injuries were reported.”

The Enforcement Division includes the Investigation Section, Operations Section, Search and Rescue Unit, Special Investigations Unit and others.  “The purpose of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is to investigate illegal drug activities in the Metro area, and other criminal activity as directed by the sheriff.  The unit conducts criminal investigations regarding street level illicit drug activity, up to and including the prosecution of federal narcotics crimes.  The SIU gathers evidence in both criminal and civil forfeiture cases.  The workload is increasing due to more sophisticated drug activities and an increase in locally manufactured methamphetamine.

The Special Investigations Unit is comprised of one sergeant, four deputies, an Investigative Technician, and one officer each from Troutdale and Gresham police departments.  Members of this unit work all hours of the day and night under stressful and dangerous conditions.  Their investigations take them into areas considered hazardous to health and public safety.  The nature of their work brings them into close proximity to unstable chemicals and other contaminants.”

Sourceco.multnomah.or.us/sheriff