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About The Redmond spokesman. (Redmond, Crook County, Or.) 1910-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 2021)
Inside: Ridgeview takes 3rd place in volleyball tourney » Wednesday, november 10, 2021 Redmond, Oregon • $1 redmondspokesman.com A special good morning to subscriber Steve Gover @redmondspox Local police agencies struggle with staffing BY GARRETT ANDREWS The Bulletin With law enforcement agen- cies reporting the number of unfilled positions at 10% to 15% in Central Oregon, ad- ministrators have boosted re- cruitment efforts and tried other methods, such as slowing the promotion process to keep patrol cars on the streets. “It’s not like it used to be,” said Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz. “We don’t see the large hiring groups that agencies used to get ... Getting people in the door and trained up is a real challenge, and our recruit- ing team does it nonstop.” Officials surmise staffing is- sues are related to changing attitudes about law enforce- ment careers, losing officers to burnout and better-paying professions. Also an issue is COVID-19- related delays at the state po- lice academy, where all rookie officers are required to attend classes. Even Bend’s cost of liv- ing has been an issue. Oregon’s Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which operates the state police academy, was forced to delay classes in 2020 due to positive COVID-19 cases. This led to a number of schedule adjustments, drawing out the 1- to 2-year process of turning fresh recruits into “ef- fective labor.” The ripples from the slowdown are still being felt at agencies around the state. Redmond Police Depart- ment is currently short experi- enced officers who can patrol on their own. To address this, the Redmond City Council on Tuesday voted to adjust the budget to bring on several “lat- eral” hires, that is, experienced officers from other agencies. The new officers bring the total of full-time police in Red- mond to 50, but the agency is still five officers from its goal. The department had wanted to bring on more recruits, but needs officers who can start to- day, Capt. Devin Lewis said. “On paper, we look pretty good,” Lewis said. “But with entry-level positions, you gotta think about how long it takes to get them up to speed. The delays really set us back. We weren’t seeing that return on investment.” Bend’s officer shortage is around 10%. To get that down to a goal of 5%, the department’s three-person recruiting team has focused on digital efforts, Krantz said. See Police / P4 Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo Lt. Curtis Chambers attaches a body camera to his vest at the Redmond Police Department in 2019. Hugh Hartman Elementary BRIDGE MEADOWS BILINGUAL LIBRARY TAKES SHAPE Community celebrates housing alternative to foster care From a press release REDMOND — The Port- land-based intergenerational housing community Bridge Meadows cele- brated its grand opening at its new Redmond location on Oct. 22. The development responds to Central Or- egon’s critical need for safe, affordable housing and permanency-focused al- ternatives to foster care. In celebration of Bridge Meadows’ third housing development, and the first outside of the Portland-metro area, Bridge Meadows Executive Di- rector Derenda Schubert and board members spoke. Other speakers in- cluded Redmond City Councilor Clifford Evelyn; Oregon Housing and Community Services Executive Di- rector Margaret Salazar; and Hayden Homes Vice President of Community Engagement Deborah Flagan. See Foster care / P1 About Bridge Meadows Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos Pia Alliende reads a bilingual book Thursday to students and their families during a monthly family engagement night called Library in my Pajamas at Hugh Hartman Elementary School in Redmond. BY NICOLE BALES The Bulletin REDMOND — Pia Alliende read aloud from the children’s book, “Playing Lotería,” and when she came across Spanish words in the story she emphasized them, then signaled to the students sit- ting on the floor in front of her to repeat them. After Alliende, Redmond School District’s librarian, finished the story in Hugh Hartman Elemen- tary School’s new bilingual library, the dozens of students and their families moved to the cafeteria to play lotería, a traditional Latin American game similar to bingo. The event that took place Thursday night is part of a monthly bilingual family en- gagement night called Library in my Pajamas. Each month has a theme, and a book written by an author from an underrepresented group is selected. October’s theme was Hispanic Heritage. “The library is the best place for getting people together,” Alliende said, adding that the activities help show people’s heritage and amplify voices that have histori- cally been marginalized. About 375 students attend Hugh Hartman Elementary, Red- mond School District’s dual-lan- guage immersion school, which has classes in Spanish and English. Bridge Meadows is a 501(c)(3) multi-generational housing commu- nity serving Oregon’s foster youth, adoptive parents and elders (55+). Its mission is to offer permanency in the lives of foster children by providing homes, supporting adoptive parents with resources and giving elders pur- pose in their daily lives. The nonprofit has two locations in the Portland-metro area, including one that opened in N. Portland in April 2011 and one in Beaverton, opened in 2017. Bridge Meadows will expand to Redmond in 2021 and has plans to open additional locations in the future. For more information, visit: www. bridgemeadows.org. See Library / P4 The Spokesman uses recycled newsprint Events in and around Redmond The Redmond Spokesman welcomes event information for its community calendar. Submissions are limited to nonprofit, free and live entertainment events. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for the following Wednesday’s paper. Items are published on a space-available basis and may be edited. Contact us at news@redmondspokesman.com or fax 541-548-3203. Wednesday 11/10 Brewing, 424 NW Fifth, Redmond; facebook. com/InitiativeBrew or 541-527-4380. Redmond School Board Meeting: A regular meeting will be held; 5:30 p.m.; Redmond School District, online; redmondschools.org or 541-923-5437. THUrsday 11/11 Know Timber — Ponderosa Pines: Discover more about the beloved Ponderosa Pine and other trees in our community; 6-7 p.m.; free; Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond; deschuteslibrary.org or 541- 312-1050. Trivia Wednesdays: Bring some pals, team up to play genuine UKB Trivia live and possibly win gift certificates; 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Initiative Redmond’s Veterans Day Parade: The parade will honor the WWI armistice; 11 a.m.; free; Downtown Redmond, NW Dogwood Ave. & NW Sixth St., Redmond; 541-280-5162. Thrive Central Oregon Walk-In Consultations: free 30-minute walk-in social service consultations to connect to housing, medical, mental health resources, veteran, social security help and more; 1-4 p.m.; free; Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond; deschuteslibrary.org or 541- 312-1050. Hospice of Redmond Wall of Honor Panel Dedication: Hospice of Redmond hosts public taps ceremonies the third Wednesday of each month; 2-2:30 p.m.; Hospice of Redmond, 732 SW 23rd St., Bend; hospiceofredmond.org or 541-548-7483. Know Timber — Your Deschutes National Forest More Than Timber: Explore the origin of the Deschutes National Forest and the key roles and contributions it has played, and continues to play, in local history; 4-5 p.m.; free; Deschutes Public Library, online; deschuteslibrary.org or 541-312-1029. See Calendar / P6 INDEX Puzzles ............. 2 Obituaries ....... 6 Police log ........ 2 Classifieds ....... 6 Volume 112, No. 11 USPS 778-040 U|xaIICGHy02326kzU
