Astoria, Seaside
post wins at Classic
Fun gal looking
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SPORTS • 9A
FRIDAY EXTRA • 1C
143rd YEAR, No. 123
ONE DOLLAR
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 • WEEKEND EDITION
Scandi
heritage
tribute
planned
‘It’s a tough time to recruit
police offi cers right now.’
Astoria Police Chief Brad Johnston
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gets grant to plan
monument project
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
WANTED:
POLICE OFFICERS
Background checks, psychological
exams winnow applicants
First of Two Parts
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
P
olice in Clatsop County and
across Oregon are having a
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Applicants are failing in large num-
bers at every step in the recruitment
process, from background checks
to psychological exams. A negative
perception of police nationwide is
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even applying.
“It’s a tough time to recruit po-
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Police Chief Brad Johnston said.
“People in law enforcement don’t
want their children to go into law
enforcement. Some of it is cyclical,
but some of it we can affect and
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Johnston said the statewide
trend hit his department earlier this
year. He started hiring for an open
position in March. Out of about 60
applications, he was unable to hire
anyone.
The hiring process opened
again this fall, and out of a similar
applicant pool, only three people
are being considered.
Overall, Johnston said, the ap-
plicant pool is down about two-
thirds from what the department
has seen in the past.
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late 1980s and early 1990s, police
departments in Oregon did a lot
of hiring, Johnston said, and now
Though Astoria’s industrious
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heritage, no full-scale monument ex-
ists to recognize the Finns, Swedes,
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who left their homeland in the late
1800s and early 1900s to populate
the area.
But the Astoria Scandinavian
Heritage Association is working to
change that.
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ation received a $2,500 grant from
the Oregon Community Foundation
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year project that will culminate in a
monument titled “From Scandinavia
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The design and location have yet
to be determined, but the goal is set
in stone: to celebrate the Scandina-
vian immigrant experience while
educating the public about the Scan-
dinavian tradition.
“The Scandinavians have made a
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project’s grant writer and publicist.
“The ethics and the values carry over
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Sense of identity
Carl Wycoff/via Creative Commons
Newly minted officers from the Des Moines, Iowa, Police Academy listen at this year’s graduation with
their new badges in hand.
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of their careers.
“We are faced with trying to re-
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said.
Actively recruiting
One solution is to do more ac-
tive recruiting.
Johnston said his department
used to pull directly from Clatsop
Community College’s criminal
justice program. The program was
discontinued in 2012 due to low
enrollment numbers and decreased
funding from the state.
Donna Larson, vice president of
academic and student affairs, said
the c ollege is planning to reinstate
the criminal justice program by
next fall. The college will be offer-
ing one class this spring .
“We have heard from law en-
forcement that there is a real need
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By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
This season has pretty much
been one and the same for
Jordan Poyer and the Cleve-
land Browns: Some ups, some
downs, a few injuries and plen-
ty of frustrating losses.
More losses than they were
both counting on.
With three games left, the
Browns are 3-10 and out of
the playoff race.
Still, there’s a few things
to look forward to for both
MORE INSIDE
Turn to Page 10 to read
our interview with Astoria’s
Jordan Poyer.
Poyer and the Browns.
While Cleveland will try to
play the spoiler role , Poyer —
who made a name for himself
as a tremendous three-sport
athlete at Astoria High School
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as a professional.
The Browns will take on
ClevelandBrowns.com
the red-hot Seattle Seahawks
Sunday at CenturyLink Field Astoria’s Jordan Poyer was
looking forward to Sun-
(1:05 p.m. kickoff, FOX).
See POYER, Page 10A
See TRIBUTE, Page 10A
Warrenton Police Chief Matt
Workman recently had some suc-
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The department’s last three
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candidates, including Johnston’s
son, Tyler Johnston.
Despite the successful hires,
Workman said, his department still
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small agencies around the state.
A Sunday homecoming for Poyer
Browns hope to
play the spoiler
role in Seattle
Once the committee knows the
what and where, they will begin
raising money from individuals and
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she said.
Ideally, the proposed monument
would be installed in 2017 and un-
veiled during that year’s 50th annual
Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer
Festival, held every June at the Clat-
sop County Fairgrounds.
Realistically, however, the her-
itage association hopes to break
ground on the structure, or at least
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event.
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said Loran Mathews, a project leader
and president of the heritage associa-
tion, which supports the midsummer
festival.
day’s game in Seattle even
before the season started.
See POLICE, Page 8A
Janet Bowler and Loran Mathews
Budget deal falls
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More money,
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agency woes
long term
after year, has had to borrow
money from other programs
to keep up with the ev-
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The Forest Service spent
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By MEAD GRUVER
now accounts for more than
Associated Press
half of the agency’s budget,
up from 16 percent 20 years
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Budget legislation headed
The Obama administra-
to President Barack Obama tion wants to address the
includes an additional $610 )RUHVW 6HUYLFH¶V ¿UH¿JKWLQJ
million for the U.S. Forest EXGJHW VKXIÀH E\ WUHDWLQJ
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next year but no long-term
See BUDGET, Page 8A
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