6
DECEMBER 1, 2023
SMOKE SIGNALS
Tribal Police officers honored for lifesaving efforts
By Sherron Lumley
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Oregon Peace Ofocers Association honored
the lifesaving efforts of Grand Ronde Tribal Police
Department ofocers Angel Arenas and Austin
Gomez at its annual statewide awards banquet
at Spirit Mountain Casino on Friday, Nov. 17.
The awards are given to law enforcement
personnel and citizens throughout Oregon for ex-
emplary deeds and service in their communities.
Both men used CPR in separate emergency
situations this year, each saving a life. Gomez
received a Lifesaving Award and Arenas was
presented with a Lifesaving Award with Valor.
<I9m really proud of their bravery, composure
and training to give lifesaving actions,= Tribal
Police Chief Jake McKnight said. <These were
proactive patrolling calls that show how im-
portant it is that the Tribe has its own police
department.=
At 1:28 p.m. Thursday, March 9, Gomez re-
sponded within one minute to an emergency
dispatch call to the intersection of Fire Hall and
Andy Riggs roads in Grand Ronde.
<I arrived on scene and observed a white Maz-
da CX-9 parked on the side of the road with its
hazard lights on,= he said. <Hanging out the driv-
er9s door was a male unconscious, not breathing,
and his skin was a bluish gray.=
When the man did not respond and based on
the original call details, Gomez administered
Naloxone, an overdose reversal medicine, into
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department Officer
Austin Gomez is awarded the Life Saving Award
during the Oregon Peace Officers Association Law
Enforcement Awards Banquet at Spirit Mountain
Casino9s Event Center on Friday, Nov. 17.
each nostril. He then performed seven minutes
of CPR
<The male would breathe on his own for a mo-
ment then would become unresponsive again,=
Gomez said.
He continued CPR until medics arrived.
The incident Arenas responded to occurred
during a routine patrol at 4 p.m. Wednesday,
May 24.
<I was driving through the Tribal main campus
Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department Officer
Angel Arenas, middle, is awarded the Life Saving
Award with Valor during the Oregon Peace
Officers Association Law Enforcement Awards
Banquet. At left is OPOA Board of Directors
past President Robert Wirt and OPOA Board of
Directors incoming President Darren Pomeroy is
on the right.
and saw a mother holding her child in distress
yelling for help,= he said. <I quickly exited my
police vehicle and saw the child was having a se-
vere medical issue and was not responsive at the
time. I called for medical personnel to respond to
my location. While medics were in route, I started
providing medical aid to the child to include CPR,
and was able to get the child conscious and alert
by the time medical personnel arrived on scene.=
Tribal Police provide service 24 hours a day,
seven days a week to the Grand Ronde commu-
nity, and respond to local calls through a mutual
aid agreement with Yamhill County. þ
Willamina opens discussions with Tribe for law enforcement contract
By Sherron Lumley
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Willamina City Council voted
unanimously to begin discussions
with the Grand Ronde Tribal Police
Department regarding the city9s law
enforcement contract in a public
meeting held on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Currently, through a mutual aid
agreement, Tribal Police and Yam-
hill County coordinate coverage for
the city of Willamina, although this
is not a monetary agreement.
The Yamhill County Sheriff9s
Office, which has provided law
enforcement under contract to Wil-
lamina for 30 years, and city coun-
cilors expressed appreciation and
admiration for the Grand Ronde
Tribal Police Department.
<The Sheriff9s Department and
Tribal Police just blend and it has
been a relief,= Patrol Capt. Sam
Elliot said. <We have been so com-
pletely impressed. They do a tre-
mendous job.=
The Tribal Police Department,
with approval from Tribal Council,
approached Willamina city staff
about the law enforcement contract,
which runs annually from July 1 to
June 30.
<We do work well together,= Trib-
al Police Chief Jake McKnight said.
<At this point, we are just going to
have some talks.=
Oregon law allow cities to con-
tract with county sheriffs and gov-
erning bodies for police services to
incorporated cities.
In oscal year 2023-24, Willamina
Mayor Ila Skyberg and outgoing
Yamhill County Sheriff Tim Sven-
son signed the annual $358,553
agreement for police services, paid
in monthly installments of $29,879.
This covers personnel expenses,
such as salaries, health and life in-
surance for two deputies, overtime,
vehicle costs and uniforms. This is
an increase from $299,655 in 2021
and $338,454 in 2022.
Willamina City Manager and
Budget Officer Bridget Meneley
addressed an underlying issue in
her written summary: <Police de-
partments, nationwide, have expe-
rienced a stafong shortage. Yamhill
County Sheriff9s Ofoce is included
in that shortage and is not able to
maintain an adequate minimum
stafong level and effectively conduct
policing for the entire county.=
Grand Ronde could provide three
full-time ofocers, a supervisor and
adequate minimum stafong levels
within Willamina9s current law en-
forcement budget, McKnight said.
There also would be an increase in
community engagement opportu-
nities working collaboratively with
Willamina city staff.
<We are asking for a decision
in the next couple of months, by
mid-January or so, to have time to
hire on and train,= McKnight said.
Willamina pays for the law en-
forcement contract through a com-
bination of general fund monies
and a public safety fee. The city9s
total budget for oscal year 2023-24
is $10,039,724.
In addition to infrastructure im-
provements, Willamina anticipates
economic development, planning
and land use development, increas-
ing the number of homes and fran-
chise fees, according to the oscal
year 2023-24 budget message.
As Willamina prepares for
growth, its leaders <aim to provide
the most complete service to our
community,= which includes ade-
quate law enforcement.
The Tribe has greatly expanded
the emergency services it provides
to the West Valley area since build-
ing a ore station in Grand Ronde
in 2010.
In 2020, the Tribe and the West
Valley Fire District worked out
a transition plan for the Tribe to
assume control and operations
in Grand Ronde. In 2022, Tribal
Council approved a ove-year agree-
ment to operate the Willamina Fire
Station from Jan. 1, 2023, through
Dec. 31, 2027. þ
Tribal nonemergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency text
line at 541-921-2927.
<If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to contact
my ofocer via text through this line,= said Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief
Jake McKnight. <When one of my ofocers receives the text, they will call
you back when they have time.=
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. þ