4 opinion may1 2014 An Opinion: Why We Should Keep The Jail Open By Scott Laird Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors Pamela Daniel Stacey Lynn Souvanny Miller Michal Smith Sonia Spackman Grant Williams Photography Scott Bergstrom Emily Rome Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com One year subscriptions (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com Vernonia Veterinary Clinic Small and Large Animals Now Open Mon, Wed & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call for Appointments (503) 429-1612 Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470 700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR Voters guides for the upcom- ing May 20 election have arrived and ballots should be showing up any day now. Voters in Columbia County have a few candidates to decide between. But they also have a big decision to make on whether to continue to operate the Co- lumbia County Jail. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners has said, in no un- certain terms, that the jail will close on June 30, 2014 if voters fail to pass Mea- sure 5-238. The Jail is managed by the Sheriff’s Department and currently can house 110 inmates; twenty-five of those beds are reserved for local inmates. The rest are rented to the federal government which, according to the County Com- missioners, helps subsidize the cost to incarcerate the locals. The County faces a budget shortfall, due to decreas- ing O&C Forest Payments, which the County has relied on in the past to fund jail operations. This past year the O&C funding was $600,000 (down from $2 million in 2008) and there is no O&C funding scheduled for 2015. The levy calls for a $0.5797 per $1,000 of assessed value property tax for three years, which roughly equates to an increase of $58 on a property val- ued at $100,000 per year. Columbia County voters have a history of rejecting tax levies to fund the Sheriff’s Department. They failed to pass a levy to fund jail operations last year and have repeatedly spurned levies brought forward by Sheriff Jeff Dick- erson to fund patrol deputies and other operations. The Sheriff’s Department has continued to cut personnel; the clos- ing of the jail would be another blow to Dickerson’s administration. So, how will you vote when your ballot arrives in the mail this month? Certainly asking voters to ap- prove a measure to increase taxes is rarely popular for obvious reasons. Like all elections, these campaigns concern- ing public safety contain rhetoric from both sides, making it difficult for voters to understand the issue. I have supported levies to fund public safety in our communities in the past. Here in Vernonia we are struggling with a decreasing popula- tion and a shortage of funding for our city and schools along with increasing utility rates. One way to combat those issues is to attract families, businesses, industry and tourists and increase our Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 Lady’s Night Wed 5-12 tax base. A safe community is an attrac- tive community. I think it’s important, as Columbia County tries to grow, that those people we might want to attract know this is a safe place to live, work and play. As we all know Vernonia is very isolated. We currently have a three man police force, which doesn’t leave us fully covered, especially when an of- ficer is on vacation or on medical leave. We currently receive little back up from the limited Sheriff’s Deputies that are on duty. Several weeks ago we saw a minor crime wave as numerous burglar- ies occurred throughout the area. Of course it wasn’t minor if you were one of the victims. I have heard people say that we should just continue to underfund public safety and citizens should deal with these issues on their own by arm- ing themselves and protecting their own property. Maybe I’m naïve, but to me that just sounds like a recipe for a trag- edy. I imagine it will only be a matter of time before someone is mistakenly shot and maybe killed. But I’m getting a little too far into supposition. Voting to fund or not fund the jail can be a complex and emo- tional issue. If this levy fails and the jail closes the Sheriff has said that he will rent ten beds from Polk County and hold ten local prisoners at a time. That means fifteen of the current twenty-five locals the county is holding would be released. On Sunday, April 27 I went on- line and looked at the current Inmate Population list at the Columbia County Jail. There were eighty-eight inmates incarcerated at that moment, twenty- five appeared to be non-federal prison- ers. Here is a list of the crimes those twenty-five were being held on, roughly in order from most severe to least. 1)MURDER 2)ATTEMPT MURDER 3)RAPE II, SEX ABUSE II 4)RAPE III 5)SODOMY II 6)SEX ABUSE 1 X3 7)ASSAULT II 8)ASSAULT III 9)ASSAULT IV X 3 10)ASSAULT IV 11)DUII 12)DELIVERY OF HEROIN 13)POSSESSION HEROIN 14)DELIVERY OF MARIJUANA W/1000 FT OF SCHOOL 15)VIOLATION OF RESTRAINING ORDER 16)HARASSMENT 17)VIOLATION OF RELEASE 18)HINDERING PROSECUTION 19)UNAUTHORIZED USE OF MO- TOR VEHICLE 20)PAROLE VIOLATION 21)PAROLE VIOLATION 22)PAROLE VIOLATION 23)PAROLE VIOLATION 24)PROBATION VIOLATION 25)POST PRISON SUPV SANCTION Now image having to choose which of those ten to hold; the first six or seven are fairly easy, but then it gets a little more difficult. On the County site, you can actually click on each pris- oner and see more details about what each one of these prisoners is accused of. Number 16, being held for Harass- ment, was actually from Vernonia and also had charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass. Number 17 also had charges of Contempt of Court, As- sault and Private Indecency. One of the inmates being held on a Parole Viola- tion was charged with Reckless Driv- ing, Criminal Mischief, Resisting Arrest and Private Indecency. Number 12 was not only charged with Delivery but also with Manufacture of Heroin as well as being a Felon in Possession of 2 Fire- arms. Number 10 who was being held on Assault, was also charged with Co- ercion and Menacing. Number 19 not only allegedly stole a car; he was also found with methamphetamine, gave false information to the police and is a fugitive from another state. OK, let’s say you have your list of top ten inmates to hold. After June 30 the Sheriff’s Department will be cit- ing and releasing criminals like the rest on this list. Imagine how it would feel to be one of the victims of these crimi- nals, knowing they are going to be im- mediately released? Now let’s say a local police department brings in someone else charged with Assault I. Do you release one of your top ten or this new law breaker? This is not conjecture or scare tactics. This is the reality of what the citizens of Columbia County will be ex- posed to on June 30 if the jail closes. Voting for the jail levy is not an easy choice but it is your choice. You can vote no on Measure 5-238 to close the jail or vote yes to keep those prison- ers in jail. I know how I’ll be voting. 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