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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018
FIELD TEST
Candidates Wanted
URGENT NOTICE: You may be qualified
to participate in a special Field Test of
new hearing instrument technology
being held at a local test site.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Andrea Gonzalez spoke at a rally in Astoria in July against repealing Oregon’s sanctuary law.
Gonzalez: Has been part of
opposition on several fronts
Continued from Page 1A
Gonzalez, a member of
the Lower Columbia His-
panic Council, came in con-
tact with the ACLU at a recent
conference. She was asked to
take part in the ad, which was
filmed that same day.
“We knew about the con-
ference itself, but the oppor-
tunity to be in the video pre-
sented itself that day, and I
just decided, I guess, to be a
part of it,” she said.
Gonzalez has been part
of the measure’s opposition
on several fronts, including a
rally in Astoria in July.
She is not the first person
from Clatsop County to weigh
in on the issue to a broader
audience. Sheriff Tom Bergin
penned a letter in August sup-
porting the measure, with 15
other sheriffs from around the
state signing on.
Bergin cited respect for
the law and an ability to ease
local law enforcement’s rela-
tionships with U.S. Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforce-
ment as reasons to support
the measure. He added that, if
the sanctuary law is repealed,
the sheriff’s office would
not question someone solely
about their immigration
status.
Crime: ‘Right now, the weak link in
our criminal justice system is the jail’
Continued from Page 1A
Public safety is a
theme in the campaign for
a new jail — the red-
and-white signs for the
November bond measure say
“Keep our streets safe!” Vio-
lence like murder or rape
is rare, but a thick stew of
assaults, threats, sex abuse,
theft and drug- and alcohol-fu-
eled crime has kept the county
near the top.
The state crime rankings,
adjusted for population, are
tied to the county’s drinking
culture and the lack of sub-
stance abuse and mental health
treatment options. But the
rankings are also inflated by
visitors who have made the
North Coast one of the state’s
most popular getaways.
Last year, 27 percent of the
more than 2,400 bookings at
the jail were people who live
outside the county.
District Attorney Josh
Marquis said the long-run-
ning crack among attorneys is,
“Come on vacation, leave on
probation.”
“It’s become a very desir-
able place for a lot of people
to live and recreate,” Marquis
said. “Unfortunately, a micro-
cosm of that, is that it has also
become a popular place for
some people to prey on those
people.”
Marquis emphasizes his
point by comparing Clat-
sop County — with a popula-
tion of about 39,000 — with
Columbia County to the east,
at 51,000. Columbia County
ranked 16th in 2017 in behav-
ioral crimes, 28th in crimes
against people and 28th in
property crimes.
“No offense, but who
says, ‘Oh, gee, let’s go spend
the weekend in Scappoose
or, you know, St. Helens,’”
Marquis said. “It’s just not a
destination.”
Lodging tax
The large share of out-of-
county jail bookings was part
of the rationale county com-
missioners used this summer
for a 1 percent lodging tax to
help pay for operations at a
new jail.
Leaders in the tourism
industry fought the lodging tax
and are increasingly punch-
ing back against the percep-
tion that visitors are driving
the county’s crime rate.
“I rail against the idea of
vilifying our guests, who are
part of an industry that creates
a lot of jobs and a lot of reve-
nue for our county,” said David
Reid, the executive director of
the Astoria-Warrenton Area
Chamber of Commerce.
While some visitors who
stay in hotels commit crimes,
Reid believes there is no direct
CRIME
REPORTS
The Oregon Uniform Crime
Report tracks offenses by
county. Rankings for 2017
are based on reported
crimes per 100,000 popu-
lation.
*Behavioral — Covers dis-
orderly conduct, drunken
driving, liquor, drug and
other crimes. (Clatsop,
Coos, Jackson, Benton,
Marion)
*Persons — Covers as-
saults, threats, sex abuse
and other crimes. (Clat-
sop, Morrow, Douglas,
Jefferson, Jackson)
*Property — Covers theft,
fraud, burglary, vandalism
and other crimes. (Mult-
nomah, Jackson, Marion,
Coos, Clatsop)
correlation with the 27 percent
of out-of-county jail bookings.
As the tourism industry
becomes more sophisticated
at marketing the North Coast,
raising the quality of the expe-
rience and stressing visitor
spending over volume, part
of the message will be how
people can enjoy the region
responsibly.
“The conversation about
teaching people how to enjoy
our area is an increasing one,”
Reid said. “It’s something
we’re getting a little better at.”
Difficult to measure
The Oregon Uniform
Crime Report is the best state-
wide overview of offenses
reported by law enforcement,
but the data is limited. Not all
law enforcement agencies con-
sistently submit reports.
Clatsop County generally
has a good reporting rate, but
Warrenton police, for example,
did not participate in 2017, so
the county’s totals are lower
than what they should have
been.
The county’s placement
near the top of the state crime
rankings is not in isolation,
however, nor is the idea visi-
tors influence the crime rate.
“Our numbers are way too
high for our population,” Chief
Deputy Paul Williams, of the
sheriff’s office, said.
Last year, The Daily Asto-
rian documented how the
county was among the highest
in the state for sending people
to prison for drug and prop-
erty crimes. In 2016, the news-
paper showed how roughly
40 percent of drunken-driving
cases each year involve people
who live outside the county.
Marquis and Bergin have
well-earned reputations for
being tough on crime and
skeptical of criminal justice
reform. As the most visible
advocates for a new jail, they
are targets of critics who claim
they only want more cells to
lock people up.
But Marquis is retiring as
district attorney at the end of
the year, and Bergin has said
he will not run for re-elec-
tion as sheriff in 2020, so oth-
ers will have the chance to set
policy.
“These are much, much
larger forces than any one per-
son can control,” Marquis said.
Overcrowding
The debate over a new jail
has mostly focused on inmates
who are released early because
the 60-bed jail in Astoria is
overcrowded. Last year, 459
inmates were forced out early,
according to the sheriff’s
office. A new jail at the for-
mer North Coast Youth Cor-
rectional Facility in Warrenton
would have 148 beds with the
potential for expansion.
Increasingly, though, the
question for policymakers is
not how many inmates should
be in custody, but whether jail
space is being used effectively.
Over the past year, the
county, led by Judge Paula
Brownhill, the presiding judge
of the Circuit Court, has tested
a new pretrial release policy to
try to lower the high percent-
age of inmates at the jail who
are awaiting trial. Using risk
assessment tools, the county
weighs an inmate’s risk to
public safety, the likelihood
of new criminal activity, the
threat to victims, and the prob-
ability the accused will appear
for court.
As part of Oregon’s push
to reduce state prison use —
known as justice reinvestment
— the county is also encour-
aged to supervise more crimi-
nals locally through jail or pro-
bation. One of the strategies
is to use sanctions — includ-
ing short-term stays in jail —
to control behavior, which
is difficult when the jail is
overcrowded.
With more jail space, more
inmates convicted of crimes
would serve their full sen-
tences, while the county would
have more flexibility to use the
hammer of jail time to enforce
probation.
“Right now, the weak link
in our criminal justice system
is the jail, and it has been for
a couple decades,” Williams
said.
For Marquis, a new jail
would help send the message
that there are immediate and
real consequences for getting
arrested. The fear of conse-
quences, over time, might help
reduce the crime rate.
“That information, you
don’t need to paste it on Face-
book for it to be known, and
for it to be common knowl-
edge pretty quickly,” he said.
An industry leader in digital hearing devices is
sponsoring a product field test in your area next
week and they have asked us to select up to
15 qualified candidates to participate. They are
interested in determining the benefits of GENIUS™
3.0 Technology in eliminating the difficulty hearing
aid users experience in difficult environments, such
as those with background noise or multiple talkers.
Candidates in other test areas have reported very
positive feedback so far.
We are looking for additional candidates in
Warrenton and the surrounding areas.
Dates: October 17 th - 19 th
Miracle-Ear Center
Youngs Bay Plaza
173 S. Hwy 101
Warrenton, OR 97146
(503) 836-7921
Miracle-Ear Center
2505 Main Ave N, Suite C
Tillamook, OR 97141
(503) 836-7926
In an effort to accurately demonstrate the incredible
performance of these devices, specially trained
representatives will be conducting testing and
demonstrations during this special event.
In addition to an audiometric hearing evaluation,
candidates will receive a fiber-optic otoscope exam,
a painless procedure that could reveal common
hearing problems such as excessive wax or damage
to the eardrum, as well as other common cause of
hearing deficiencies.
Qualified Field Test Candidates:
• Live in Warrenton or the surrounding area
• Are at least 55 years of age or older
• Have experienced some level of hearing difficulty,
or currently wear hearing aids
• Don’t currently work for a market research
company
FIELD TEST
PARTICIPANTS
Will be tested and
selected same-day.
We have a limited supply of the GENIUS™ 3.0 test
product currently on hand and ready for testing.
We have also been authorized to offer significant
discounts if you decide to take the hearing
instruments home. If you choose not to keep them,
there’s no risk or obligation of any kind.†
TO PARTICIPATE:
1. You must be one of the first 15 people to call our
office Mention Code: 18OctMicro
2. You will be required to have your hearing tested
in our office, FREE OF CHARGE, to determine
candidacy.
3. Report your results with the hearing instruments
to the Hearing Care Specialist over a three week
test period.
Qualified candidates will be selected on a first-
come, first-served basis so please call us TODAY
to secure your spot in the Product Field Test.
Participants who qualify and complete the product
test will receive a FREE $100 Restaurant.com Gift
Card* as a token of our thanks.
AVOID WAITING – CALL AND MENTION CODE: 18OctMicro
*One per household. Must be 55 or older and bring loved one for familiar voice test. Must complete a hearing
test. Not valid with prior test/purchase in last 6 months. While supplies last. Free gift card may be used toward
the purchase of food at participating restaurants where a minimum purchase may also be required. See restau-
rant.com for details. Not redeemable for cash. Promotional offer available during special event dates only. †If you
are not completely satisfied, the aids may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of the completion of fitting,
in satisfactory condition. See store for details.