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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2016)
FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016 4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS Opinion / Local — Guest Opinion — Oregon FBI spreading The word about cold case importance of emergency preparedness By Sen. Ted Ferrioli Submitted Photo. Three sketches of a serial killer from California are being distributed across the Pacific Northwest by various FBI departments. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento County Sheriff's Depart- ment, Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, and Contra Costa Sheriff's Department held a press conference to announce the launch of a reward and national campaign to help identify the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer, a violent serial burglar, rapist, and murderer who terrorized multiple com- munities in California throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The digital media cam- paign includes the launch of a webpage, www.fbi. gov/EastAreaRapist digital billboards throughout the country; social me- dia outreach on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; and audio broadcasts via podcasts and radio PSAs. The public can play an active role in helping law enforcement find the sub- ject by sharing links to the website and official social media content. Law enforcement asks the public to consider the following information when reviewing informa- tion about the case: • Did they live in one of the areas of criminal activ- ity and remember someone in the area who matches the physical description of the subject or may have been known to spend a considerable amount of time in the areas? • Have they discovered a hidden collection of items among the belongings of a friend or family member- -notably coins and jewelry- -as described on the FBI webpage about the crimes? The subject, who may be 60-75 years old now, was described as a White male standing approxi- mately five feet, ten inches tall, with blond or light brown hair and an athletic build. He may have had an interest or training in military or law enforce- ment techniques as he was familiar and proficient with firearms. People who know the subject may not believe him capable of such crimes. He may not have exhibited violent tenden- cies or have a criminal history. Detectives have DNA evidence from some of the crime scenes which can either positively link or exclude a suspect. This enables investigators to quickly exclude innocent parties and the public should not hesitate to provide information—even if it is the name or ad- dress of an individual who resided in the areas of the crimes—as many parties will be quickly excluded by a simple, non-invasive test. Between 1976 and 1986, this single subject commit- ted 12 homicides, approxi- mately 45 rapes, and mul- tiple residential burglaries in the state of California. All of the crimes have been linked by DNA and/ or details of the crimes. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41 and in- cluded women home alone, woman at home with their children, and couples. The subject was active in the greater Sacramento area from June 1976 to February 1978. Burglaries and rapes began occurring in the Sacramento area during the summer of 1976. During these crimes, the subject would ransack the homes of his victims and take small items such as coins, jewelry, and identification. These cases include the homes of families, couples, and single women; burglar- ies in a neighborhood tended to precede clusters of sexual assaults. On February 2, 1978, Rancho Cordova couple Sergeant Brian Maggiore and his wife, Katie, were on an evening walk with their dog, chased by the subject who overcame the couple, and shot at close range. His activity continued primarily in the East Bay Area of Northern California in 1979 and, by October 1979, his activity escalated into rapes and homicides/attempted homi- cides along the California Coast with homicides in Goleta (October 10, 1979, December 3, 1979, and July 27, 1981), Ventura (March 16, 1980), Laguna Niguel (August 19, 1980), and Irvine (February 6, 1981 and May 5, 1986). During the commission of the homicides, the subject tied up both victims, raped the female victim, and then murdered the couple. After July of 1981, no associated incidents are known to have been report- ed for five years. In 1986, an 18-year-old woman was raped and murdered in Ir- vine. No additional crimes have been connected to the subject after this incident. A graphic illustrating the general location of these crimes is available on the FBI's webpage. The following is a list- ing of local law enforce- ment agencies who have investigated a crime believed to have been com- mitted by the subject and the number of crimes in their jurisdictions: Agency Sex Assaults Homicides Sacramento County Sher- iff's Department 24 2 Sacramento Police Department 4 1 assault w/ deadly weapon Contra Costa Sheriff's Dept. 5 0 Concord Police Depart- ment 2 0 Davis Police Department 3 0 Fremont Police Depart- ment 1 0 Modesto Police Depart- ment 2 0 San Jose Police Depart- ment 2 0 Stockton Police Depart- ment 2 0 Walnut Creek Police Department 2 0 Irvine Police Department 0 2 Orange County Sheriff's Dept. 0 2 Santa Barbara Co. Sher- iff's Dept 0 4 +2 attempted Ventura Police Depart- ment 0 2 Law enforcement is seeking any information that may help identify the subject, dubbed the "East Area Rapist" in Sacra- mento. He has also been called the "Original Night Stalker," "Diamond Knot Killer," and, more recently, the "Golden State Killer." Individuals with informa- tion about the subject may call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Ad- ditionally, information may be submitted to the FBI's online tip line, tips.fbi.gov. Every year, the resilient people of Senate District 30 face natural and human-caused crises. This past year alone we’ve faced wildfires, political occupations, oil spills, and threats to our rural way of life. These challenges require Eastern Or- egonians to be uniquely prepared for a disaster to strike. We also rely on first responders to quickly and effectively address these crises. Each time a crisis hits, I’m reminded of how important is it to be prepared to respond to an emergency at a mo- ment’s notice: On August 12, 2015, lightening ignited the Berry Creek and Mason Springs fires, which soon merged to become the Canyon Creek Com- plex fire. Within days Canyon Creek Complex became the Number 1 priority fire in the nation. The fire was declared controlled on November 5 after destroying 43 homes and burn- ing more than 110,000 acres. Wildfires like the Canyon Creek Complex fire continually remind us that we need responsible forest management to help prevent these fires in future years. The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began on January 2, 2016 and officially ended February 11, 2016. Multiple agencies responded to the occupation, and are still investigating the outcomes. Local law enforcement bravely stood up to protect the people of Malheur County. The small town of Mosier faced a crisis when an oil train derailed, spill- ing oil and sparking fire on June 3, 2016. Just weeks before this incident first responders participated in a training that simulated a train derail- ment, and because of that training the response in Mosier was quick and effective. No lives were lost, and the situation was swiftly contained. The Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument designation discussion Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker County Press reserves the right not to pub- lish letters containing factual falsehoods or incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or detracting from specific for-profit business- es will not be published. Word limit is 375 words per letter. Letters are limited to one every other week per author. Letters should be submitted to Editor@TheBakerCounty- Press.com. Advertising and Opinion Page Dis- claimer: Opinions submitted as Guest Submitted Photo Senator Ted Ferrioli represents Oregon’s senate district 30, which includes Baker County. is an ongoing challenge in Eastern Oregon. In October 2015, community members met to discuss the attempts by environmental groups to pressure President Obama to declare the area a national monument before he leaves office in 2017. The Owyhee has already faced one wildfire this year, which burned nearly 22,000 acres. The fire is contained, but the debate regarding the monument designation continues. The Akawana fire is burning west of Geneva. One of the first fires of the season, it has burned 2,084 acres. The fire is contained. Now, the whole state faces the challenge of lead in drinking water at schools. All schools in the state will be tested, and action will be taken to ensure that our kids are drinking safe water. Schools across the state are also receiving funds to seismically upgrade facilities so that students and teachers will be safer in the event of an earth- quake. I believe emergency preparedness and response is the top function of Government. Our leaders should also be seeking ways to prevent these cri- ses from happening. Fortunately, last week people across the state participated in a week-long earthquake response training. It is re- markable how much time and energy we spend reacting to disasters. I will continue to make protect- ing Eastern Oregon from natural and human-caused threats a top priority in Salem so we can protect our rural way of life and keep our communities safe and healthy. Opinions or Letters to the Editor express the opinions of their authors, and have not been authored by and are not necessarily the opinions of The Baker County Press, any of our staff, management, independent contractors or affiliates. Advertisements placed by political groups, candidates, businesses, etc., are printed as a paid service, which does not constitute an endorsement of or fulfillment obligation by this newspaper for the products or services advertised. — Contact Us — The Baker County Press President Barack Obama PO Box 567 Baker City, Ore. 97814 202.456.2461 fax Open Monday-Thursday for calls 9 AM - 4 PM Open 24/7 for emails TheBakerCountyPress.com “I’m working hard to stop a potential national monument of 2 million acres in Eastern Oregon, reduce federal overreach in our rural communities, and ensure multiple use of our public lands. And I’ll do all I can to fight terrorism and keep America safe. Let me know your views,” writes Congressman Greg Walden on his web site. Walden poses two ques- tions to the public in an online survey: • Do you think federal government overreach has become too harmful to our rural communities? • Do you think the fed- eral government should be more aggressive in fighting terrorism and keeping us safe, or do you think they are doing all they can? The survey can be found at https://walden.house. gov/eastern-oregon-sur- vey-2016. Space is also available for the public to expand on their opinions and leave more comprehensive com- ments during the survey process. 202.456.1414 Whitehouse.gov/contact US Sen. Jeff Merkley 503.326.3386 503.326.2900 fax Merkley.Senate.gov Phone: 541.519.0572 Walden launches survey about public lands use YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS US Sen. Ron Wyden 541.962.7691 Wyden.Senate.gov Kerry McQuisten, Publisher Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com US Rep. 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