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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2015)
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 22, 2015 Polk County News Indy Police earns accreditation from OAA By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — The Inde- pendence Police Department has been doing things right for a num- ber of years, and now it is an ac- credited agency through Oregon Accreditation Al- liance (OAA). “One of the things we learned right away is we were doing really well,” Lt. Rick Igou said about Igou the process of ac- creditation. “We were already per- forming at the national standards. Some things we were really close, but we weren’t quite there. In that regard, it made us be better in cer- tain areas.” To qualify for accreditation, law enforcement agencies must prove that they meet national standards based on best practices in 102 cat- egories, for everything from oaths of office to job descriptions, high- speed chases to use of force. Igou, who retires in June, was as- signed the job by Chief Bob Mason to get the department accredited before he retired. With a deadline in place, the longtime goal of ac- creditation has come to fruition. While the department met na- tional standards in many cate- gories, some things needed to be improved to reach accreditation standards. For example, the temporary holding facility was not up to par. “That one has a huge list of things that needed to happen to Police make us compliant,” Igou said. The holding facility is located in the middle of the building and is used as a walkway for officers coming on and off duty. But to be approved by the Department of Corrections, a holding facility must be a weapons-free zone when a suspect or prisoner is within the area. “But if officer A brings in a pris- oner, how does officer B — just coming on duty, hasn’t been here, hasn’t been listening to the radio, so he’s just walking through — how does he know it’s a weapons-free zone?” Igou said. After inspections from both the fire marshal and the Department of Corrections, Igou proposed a red light system. If an officer brings a prisoner into the temporary holding facility, he or she turns on a red light, which alerts any officer entering the area that it is weapons-free. “That’s one (example) of what’s the piece we’re missing, and how do you achieve it,” Igou said. “If we do this, does that meet standard?” Igou noted that most of the poli- cies — and how closely aligned they were to national standards al- ready — was the result of the high expectations held by retired chief Vern Wells. “He had us performing at a high level,” Igou said. “We weren’t ac- credited. We didn’t even know what the individual standards were, but he had us performing at a high level.” Independence Police joins the 61 agencies in Oregon involved in the OAA, said Ed Boyd, executive director of the OAA and retired po- lice chief. IPD and the Polk County Sher- iff’s Office are the only accredited agencies, Boyd said, noting that Monmouth PD is working toward accreditation, and Dallas PD was accredited until a few months ago. “They left temporarily but will be coming back as soon as they are able,” Boyd said. ‘Military Mistress’ stopped, but not arrested in Alabama By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer SALEM — “Military Mis- tress” Bobbi Ann House and her latest husband Zackerie House were stopped in Ala- bama last week, but not ar- rested, despite being wanted for check fraud in three states. Officials with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office in Al- abama notified the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that officers had stopped the couple on near Interstate 10. They were driving a stolen vehicle that they were be- lieved to be living out of. Mobile County officers seized the vehicle, but re- leased the couple, unable to determine local charges, ac- cording to police. Marion County is seeking help from state and federal agencies due to jurisdiction- al issues on the case. If the couple does return to Ore- gon, the sheriff’s office has probable cause to arrest them on charges of unau- thorized use of a motor vehi- cle and theft by deception, both felonies. The Houses have been implicated in a check fraud spree totaling $13,500 in Oregon, Colorado and Okla- homa. Marion County deputies discovered the fraud after being called to Universal Auto Sales, 399 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem. The couple used a check to make a $1,500 down pay- ment on a 2005 Cadillac Es- calade which was seized in Alabama. The check was written on an account opened at the Dallas Wells Fargo branch. They started their spree in Western Ore- gon, moving through coastal towns, then heading out of state. Spanning March 11 to March 30, the couple wrote $13,500 in bad checks at lo- cations including Cabellas, Safeway and Bi-Mart. Bobbi House was coined the “Military Mistress” after she married at least 14 Unit- ed States service members and proceeded to steal their money. She was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to three years in prison. Police asks anyone who has been a victim of the Houses or has information on the case to contact local police or the Oregon State Police. Recognizing crime victims JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer The flags on the Polk County Courthouse lawn Monday recognize victims of crime assisted by the county’s Victim Assistance Program. Each color represents a type of crime: property crime, domestic violence, violent crimes, DUIIs, sexual assault and child abuse. ■ PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Regular Meeting The MINET Board of Direc- tors will hold a Regular Meet- ing at 7:30 a.m., on Thursday, April 30, 2015. The board will meet at the Independence Civic Center, 555 South Main Street, Independence, OR 97351, in the Event Center. The meeting location is ac- cessible to persons with dis- abilities. A request for an in- terpreter for the hearing im- paired, or for other accommo- dations for persons with dis- abilities, should be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting to Marilyn Morton, Office Administrator, 503 837- 0700. The agenda is accessible by visiting our website at: www.minetfiber.com (Apr. 22, 2015)