Lieutenant Jarrod Prater serves as one of four lieutenants within Tigard Police and currently oversees Professional Standards and Training. Responsible for developing the department-wide training calendar, he evaluates areas for future training, assists in the accreditation process, manages internal affairs investigations and complaints, and supervises the department's Background Investigators.
Born and raised in Oregon on a farm in the mid-Willamette Valley, Lieutenant Prater studied Agricultural Mechanics at Central Oregon Community College in Bend and Lane Community College in Eugene. Prior to pursuing a career in law enforcement, he gained valuable experience in the private sector as a licensed and bonded General Contractor and also spent five years in retail electronics.
He joined the Tigard Police Department in April 2000 as a patrol officer. Over the years, he has served as a Field Training Officer for new recruits, transit officer, motor officer in the Traffic Safety Unit and a detective. In January 2017, he was promoted to sergeant. In that role, he supervised patrol officers in the field as well as transit officers, School Resource Officers and detectives in the Commercial Crimes Unit. Over the years he has also served as a firearms instructor, force on force instructor, TASER instructor and firearms instructor at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) police academy in Salem.
In 2021, then-Sergeant Prater was assigned as the department's supervisor in charge of Professional Standards, where he managed training and internal investigations. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2024, when Chief McDonald re-classified the Professional Standards role as a lieutenant-level position.
Lieutenant Prater is a graduate of the Oregon Executive Development Institute (OEDI), and holds several professional certifications, including supervisory certification, through DPSST. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family, riding motorcycles, outdoor activities and is a competitive corn hole player.
He can be reached at Jarrod.Prater@tigard-or.gov.