WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Silverton constable to be
honored at state memorial
Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Seventy-eight years after his death, Silverton Con-
stable Hansford “Harry” Greenfield will be honored
alongside other fallen law enforcement officials at the
state’s memorial grounds in Salem.
The Board on Public Safety Standards and Training
approved Greenfield’s name to be added to the Oregon
Fallen Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at the
grounds of the Oregon Public Safety Academy in a cer-
emony to take place in 2021.
The recommendation approved last week came
from a nomination that was submitted to City of Sil-
verton Police Department from Greenfield’s great-
grandson Roger Greenfield, of Salem.
Roger “asked that the historic recognition process
be used to ensure his fallen family member was prop-
erly honored for his service,” DPSST’s Director Eriks
Gabliks said in a release.
Officials said Greenfield was unknown to many.
Salem’s Capital Journal reported Greenfield’s death
on Wednesday, February 25, 1942. Reports said he died
after suffering a heart attack the day before while help-
ing Night Officer Vic Grossnickle investigate a break-in
at a local tavern.
While discussing the case with his fellow officer, he
complained of feeling ill and collapsed in a nearby lav-
atory.
Seventy-eight years after his death, Silverton
Constable Hansford “Harry” Greenfield will be
honored alongside other fallen law enforcement
officials at the state’s memorial grounds in Salem.
COURTESY OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
See CONSTABLE, Page 3A
STANDARDS AND TRAINING
County jail
populations
plummet
COVID-19 CLOSURES
Polk County Jail down 75%,
Marion facility 32% as COVID-19
at-risk inmates released
Whitney Woodworth
and Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Lloyd Savage gets his boat ready for fishing Wednesday morning as access reopened at Mongold Boat
Ramp at Detroit Lake. ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
DETROIT LAKE
REOPENS ACCESS
Other state parks also resume operations, some differences
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
It was a unique fishing opener Wednesday morn-
ing at Detroit Lake.
Anglers who’d been kept off the popular reservoir
by COVID-19 closures were suddenly able to target
rainbow trout and kokanee once again with the re-
opening of Mongold Boat Ramp.
“I was online last night when, kind of out of no-
where, I saw that it was going to open,” said Lloyd Sav-
age of Sublimity. “I went straight to the garage to get
the boat ready. I’ve been waiting all spring to get out
onto this great big lake that’s had nobody on it.”
Detroit Lake’s largest access point was one of just
eight state parks across Oregon that reopened for
day-use Wednesday following Gov. Kate Brown’s an-
nouncement that outdoor recreation could partly re-
sume.
While fishing, hunting and hiking were never ex-
pressly prohibited by Brown’s “Stay Home, Save
Lives” order, it closed many places people access the
outdoors.That began to change Wednesday.
“It’s been a long few months waiting to get out here
and fish for kokanee,” Dave Evans said, as he backed
his boat into the water Wednesday. “It really feels like
opening weekend.”
But it wasn’t quite business as usual. At Willamette
Mission State Park, the other state park near Salem
that reopened Wednesday, picnic tables were spread
out to help with social distancing. And at Detroit,
some anglers wore facemasks — all signs that things
aren’t quite normal yet.
“We’re going to be out here making sure folks are
social distancing and being responsible,” said Larry
Warren, director of the Oregon Marine Board. “We’re
all hoping things go smoothly and that we can con-
tinue to keep opening up places like this in a safe way.”
Lack of social distancing could
lead to slowdowns, new closures
Wednesday morning arrived drizzly and fairly qui-
et at Mongold Boat Ramp. Some 20 boat trailers were
parked in the boat ramp’s sprawling parking lot.
See PARKS, Page 2A
Silverton council weighs
future of Abiqua Creek dam
Christena Brooks
Special to Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The City of Silverton has been operating under a
virus-induced state of emergency like all of Oregon,
but capital water and sewer projects are still moving
forward.
The city council voted on May 4 to probe the work-
ability of breaching or replacing the 77-year-old dam
on Abiqua Creek to make the site more fish-friendly.
Not to be confused with the earthen dam at Silverton
Reservoir, this dam sits on Silverton’s main drinking
water source, Abiqua Creek, north of town.
For now, city councilors have agreed to spend
$15,000 to secure up to $60,000 in grant money to
study the dam.
“The dam is quite old, and the technology is poor,”
See COUNCIL, Page 3A
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County jails across Oregon have drastically cut
their populations in response to – and as a result of –
changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Polk County Jail slashed its population by 75%.
Marion County Correctional Facility has seen a 32%
reduction in inmates.
According to a recent survey by Disability Rights
Oregon, county jails in Oregon have shrunk the num-
ber of inmates in custody by almost 50%.
Officials with 24 jails reported in the survey that
they involved medical staff in identifying inmates at
risk of serious illness due to age or preexisting med-
ical condition, and worked with the courts and attor-
neys to release these vulnerable individuals.
The massive decrease in inmates has allowed the
Polk and Marion county jails to house adults in cus-
tody in single, separate cells, thus allowing for the
recommended social distancing space recommend
by health officials.
“It’s all focused – like everything else we are doing
these days – on trying to prevent the spread of this
virus,” Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said.
Polk County goes from 120 to 24 inmates
Starting March 17, Polk County Jail dropped its in-
mate population from 120 to the mid-40s within the
span of a few days, according to Sheriff Mark Garton.
Since then, several new inmates have been re-
leased by the court; inmates who have served their
time or have been transferred to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections have also contributed to the re-
duction.
As of Friday, the jail had 24 inmates.
Working in tandem with the county’s court sys-
tem and the district attorney’s office, the jail has re-
leased inmates who have committed less-severe
crimes, who are nearing the end of their sentence,
and those who are medically fragile.
Most inmates who remain are being held on Mea-
sure 11 or person-type felonies.
In 2019, the jail booked around 3,200 inmates, av-
eraging almost nine individuals per day.
Typically, two individuals are held in one cell; the
jail also has dorm-style units. The population cuts
have allowed inmates to be spaced into single cells,
keeping in line with social distancing measures.
Jail staff numbers have remained the same with
24 deputies, four sergeants, and three civilian staff,
according to jail commander Lt. Richard Bittick.
“If we have 25 inmates or 150, the number of staff
required to run the facility Is the same,” Garton said.
“We run pretty lean to begin with.”
No inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, but
officials did not confirm if any staff has tested posi-
tive for the virus, citing HIPAA.
The jail recently tested all but three inmates who
refused the test.
“We have no symptomatic staff or inmates at this
time,” Garton said. “We’re just trying to be a little
proactive to see what we have to work with.”
The jail has three medical cells with negative air-
flow to isolate inmates if they test positive for the vi-
rus.
Jail staff has also tried to keep the same inmates
together, “so if there is a positive inmate at some
point we can say these are the only six people they’ve
been in contact with since in the facility,” Garton
said.
The recent Disability Rights Oregon survey report-
ed Polk County Jail was one of 13 jails in the state in
need of more soap and/or hand sanitizer. But Bittick
said the staff was able to stock up on antibacterial
soap and PPE before supply stock took a hit.
Bittick said the staff started conducting more fre-
quent safety and security checks on inmates, work-
ing on upkeep projects such as painting, floor main-
See JAILS, Page 4A