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East Oregonian
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
New crime lab in Pendleton is good news
A
nytime there is a substantial
dollar investment in the local
community it is good news,
and that is why the new Oregon State
Police crime lab facility is significant.
The state police agency invested
about $4.5 million in the new facil-
ity on 612 Airport Road, a signal that
it considers Pendleton to be an ideal
site for the lab. Geographically, Pend-
leton makes a lot of sense as the place
for a centralized station for the crime
lab. The local site is also noteworthy
because it will logically cut down on
the time police spend traveling across
the region. That means, hopefully,
the time spent solving crimes will be
narrowed.
For most of us the presence of a
crime lab may seem mildly inter-
esting, but such facilities are crucial
for police. Especially in a place such
as Eastern Oregon — where police
resources are already limited — a
nearby crime lab can make a real
difference.
At least two top local police offi-
cials — Hermiston chief Jason
Edmiston and Pendleton top cop Stu-
Staff photo by Benjamin Lonergan
The team at the new Oregon State Police crime lab in Pendleton have the place up and run-
ning since moving in May 15, 2019.
art Roberts — believe the lab will
make an impact.
Forensic science plays a key role
in our state criminal system. A crime
lab can be — and often is — the dif-
ference in a conviction during a trial
of a serious crime. Conversely, labs,
such as the one in town, can also be
used to absolve suspects and allow
law enforcement agencies to quickly
focus on a criminal.
The investment by the state police
in the crime lab shows that the
agency hasn’t forgotten about Eastern
Oregon. We also hope that at least
into the foreseeable future the budget
hatchet will not float over the local
lab as it has so often done in the past.
The issue isn’t just about the crime
lab. Too often in the past state bean
counters have found ways to ham-
string state police funding. The state
has done better over the past few
years, earmarking taxpayer dollars
to fund more state police, but far, far
more needs to be done.
Public safety always seems to be
one of those quick sound bites politi-
cians throw out during election time
and then, once the polls have closed,
the talk evaporates.
But funding public safety at the
state level should never really be a
debate. The truth is more state troop-
ers — and more logistical capabili-
ties like a crime lab — are needed,
not less.
The new crime lab in Pendleton
is good news. Now, the next step for
state lawmakers is to fund more state
troopers to patrol our highways.
OTHER VIEWS
Legislature shows poor
commitment to transparency
Bend Bulletin
T
he Oregon Legislature’s interest
in improving government trans-
parency is as shallow as it can be
to keep up appearances.
The latest evidence is in the fate of
House Bill 2431. The bill is a product
of the committee the Legislature set up
to take a look at government transpar-
ency. And the Legislature is treating a
bill the committee recommended like it
is unworthy of passage, according to an
article in The Oregonian.
The bill would require state agen-
cies to take a basic step toward a better
understanding of how well they comply
with state law with public records. State
agencies would be required to publicly
disclose the number of records requests
received, the number not completed
according to the law, the number not
completed in 60 days and the number
of requests in which an agency denied
or approved a reduction or waiver in the
fee.
Some agencies track requests care-
fully. Some do not. But it’s hard to get
good information about how the state is
doing overall in complying with records
requests without reliable data for every
state agency.
Anecdotes that journalists and other
members of the public can come up with
are one thing. Good data is another.
Why not require it? The bill even
exempts the Legislature and the judicial
branch. Legislators already aren’t bound
by the same public records require-
ments, anyway. The uncertain fate of
this bill is just another sign they don’t
care so deeply about transparency.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
GOVERNOR
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
whitehouse.gov/contact/
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies
for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights
of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime
phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published.
REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
Send letters to the editor to
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801