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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2015)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 COMMUNITY Umatilla crime numbers down in 2014 Patrol officer vacancies contributed to some of the declines BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD Fewer criminal incidents were recorded in Umatilla in 2014 compared with re- cent years, but fewer patrol RI¿FHUV WKDQ QRUPDO OLNHO\ contributed to some of the decline. Police Chief Darla Huxel said the Umatilla Police De- SDUWPHQW KDG WR ¿OO WZR YD- FDQW SDWURO RI¿FHU SRVLWLRQV in the last half of 2014 and DQRWKHU RI¿FHU ZDV LQMXUHG which reduced the number of RI¿FHUVRQWKHVWUHHWVDQGOHG WRIHZHUWUDI¿FVWRSVDQGRXW- side agency assists. ³2YHUDOOWKHQXPEHUVDUH pretty consistent,” she said. “Towards the second part of the year, we were down staff. :HKDGLQMXULHVDQGQHZSHR- ple coming on, so some of the numbers may be a little lower (than normal). The criminal cases are pretty consistent, EXWWUDI¿FFDVHVJRHVGRZQ ZLWKWKHPDQSRZHUZHKDYH´ There were 492 total traf- ¿FUHODWHG LQFLGHQWV LQ FRPSDUHG ZLWK LQ $OWKRXJK YLRODWLRQV IRU VSHHGLQJLQFUHDVHGIURPWR DQGIDLOXUHWRREH\DWUDI¿F FRQWUROGHYLFHLQFUHDVHGIURP WRWKHRWKHUWUDI¿FFDW- egories declined. Insurance DQGUHJLVWUDWLRQYLRODWLRQVGH- FOLQHGIURPWR'ULYHU OLFHQVH YLRODWLRQV GHFOLQHG IURPWR'ULYLQJZKLOH VXVSHQGHGYLRODWLRQVGHFOLQHG IURP WR (TXLSPHQW YLRODWLRQV GHFOLQHG IURP WR Huxel said some criminal categories were also affected E\ WKH UHGXFWLRQ LQ RI¿FHUV Outside agency assists fell IURP WR 'UXJUH- ODWHG DQG GULYLQJ XQGHU WKH LQÀXHQFH RI LQWR[LFDQWV LQFL- dents fell from 146 to 65, and ZDUUDQWDUUHVWVIHOOIURP WR “Pretty much, last year, ZHZHUHMXVWPDLQWDLQLQJWKH minimums,” she said. “At RQH SRLQW \RX NQRZ ZKHQ \RX DUH WKUHH RI¿FHUV GRZQ that’s almost half your patrol force, so we struggled.” UPD is comprised of the chief, a lieutenant, a sergeant, VHYHQ SDWURO RI¿FHUV DQG D FRGHHQIRUFHPHQWRI¿FHU7KH total criminal cases fell from WR IURP WR 2014, but some of the decline was not caused by a reduction of staff. Assaults were reduced by DOPRVW KDOI IURP WR EXUJODULHV GHFOLQHG IURP WR WKHIWV GHFOLQHG IURP WR DQG WUHVSDVV LQ- FLGHQWVGHFOLQHGIURPWR +X[HOVDLGDQHZWUHVSDVV SEAN HART PHOTO 8PDWLOOD3ROLFH&KLHI'DUOD+X[HOOHIWDQGRIÀFHDGPLQLVWUDWRUDQGGLVSDWFKHU.\OLH%DNHUORRN at several monitors at the Umatilla Police Department Thursday. Huxel said incident numbers ZHUHGRZQLQEXWDODFNRISDWURORIÀFHUVFRQWULEXWHGWRVRPHRIWKHGHFOLQH SURWRFROWKDWUHTXLUHVWKHVLJ- nature of the offender may KDYH GHFUHDVHG WKRVH LQFL- GHQWV EXW VKH GLG QRW NQRZ what led to the other declines. Some criminal reports in- FUHDVHG IURP WR criminal mischief was up IURP WR IRUJHULHV LQ- FUHDVHG IURP WR XQ- authorized entry of a motor YHKLFOH ZDV XS IURP WR 24 and unauthorized use of a PRWRUYHKLFOHLQFUHDVHGIURP WR ³/LNHWKHPDMRULW\RIDJHQ- cies in our area, unauthorized XVH RI D PRWRU YHKLFOH FDU WKHIWVLW¶VXSKHUHOLNHLWZDV HYHU\ZKHUHHOVH´+X[HOVDLG ³:H NLQG RI DWWULEXWH WKDW WR SHRSOHQRWORFNLQJWKHLUFDUV DQGOHDYLQJWKHLUNH\VLQWKHLU cars and going out and start- LQJ WKHLU FDUV DQG OHDYLQJ them running. From what I understand, pretty much the PDMRULW\RIDJHQFLHVLQ8PD- tilla County saw an increase in car thefts, so we’re not an anomaly by any stretch of the imagination.” +X[HOVDLGRYHUDOOVKHLV pleased with what the depart- ment accomplished with the UHVRXUFHVLWKDGDYDLODEOHODVW year. ³.QRZLQJ RXU VWDI¿QJ OHYHOV,DPVDWLV¿HGZLWKWKH numbers,” she said. “I would OLNH WR VHH PRUH SURDFWLYH stuff that would address some RIWKHVHRWKHUQXPEHUV,KDYH always said that we will be JHWWLQJDQLQÀX[RIGUXJDQG DUI arrests because of the PDULMXDQD LVVXHV ZKLFK LV only going to get worse now. We will be doing more train- ing to address that. When I’m WDONLQJ DERXW SURDFWLYH SR- licing, that’s a number that I hope will go up, not go down. Numbers can show a couple different things.” Huxel said the depart- PHQW¶VLQMXUHGRI¿FHULVDJDLQ KHDOWK\ DQG EDFN RQ DFWLYH GXW\ DQG WZR RWKHU RI¿FHUV KDYH EHHQ KLUHG WR ¿OO WKH YDFDQFLHV 2QH RI¿FHU VKH said, recently completed the police academy and is com- SOHWLQJ ¿HOG WUDLQLQJ DQG WKH RWKHU RI¿FHU LV FXUUHQWO\ at the academy. She said the WUDLQLQJSURFHVVWDNHVVHYHUDO months, but the department VKRXOG EH EDFN WR IXOO IRUFH by this summer. Huxel said the department ZLOO WKHQ IRFXV RQ WUDI¿FUH- ODWHG LVVXHV DQG SURDFWLYH targeted enforcement, such as FURVVZDON JDQJUHFRJQLWLRQ DQG LQWR[LFDWHGGULYHU IRFXV patrols. Because of the staff re- ductions, UPD suspended LWV*DQJ5HVLVWDQFH(GXFD- tion And Training program in the schools beginning in the fall, but Huxel said she hopes to re-staff that again soon. ³:H DOZD\V KDYH D JRDO RI EHLQJ LQYROYHG ZLWK WKH VFKRROV´ VKH VDLG ³, WKLQN that’s where we need to VWDUWDWWKDWOHYHO2QHRIWKH WKLQJV,UHDOO\OLNHDERXWRXU *5($7SURJUDPLVLWJLYHVXV a chance to be in the schools because neither the school nor WKHFLW\FDQDIIRUGWRKDYHD VFKRROUHVRXUFHRI¿FHUVRZH do the best we can by getting RI¿FHUVLQWRWKHVFKRROVZLWK WKH*5($7SURJUDP´ 0F1DU\+HLJKWVVWXGHQWVVSHQGZHHNGRLQJNLQGDFWV ³,W ZDV DOO MXVW IRU IXQ´ students also had another ¿IWKJUDGHU DQG FODVV 3UHVL- PRWLYH WHDFKLQJ WKH \RXQJ- HERMISTON HERALD dent Marisol Santa Cruz said HU VWXGHQWV ZKDW NLQGQHVV DW 0F1DU\+HLJKWV(OHPHQ- Friday. VFKRROORRNVOLNH tary School students learned In addition to doing the “We wanted to show NLQGQHVV LV FRQWDJLRXV DIWHU NLQGDFWVIRUWKHLUFODVVPDWHV ¿UVWJUDGHUV DQG NLQGHUJDUW- WKH\VSHQWWKLVZHHNFRPSOHW- and teachers, some older QHUVWREHPRUHNLQGWRSHR- ing acts that made other peo- ple feel good. The students spent all this ZHHN SDUWLFLSDWLQJ LQ ³7KH Great Kindness Challenge,” ZKHUHWKH\FKHFNHGRIILWHPV from a list of 50 acts that in- FOXGHG WKLQJV OLNH ³VPLOH DW SHRSOH´ RU ³PDNH D QHZ friend.” They were then en- couraged to complete some NLQG DFWV WKDW WKH\ PDGH XS WKHPVHOYHV )LIWKJUDGHU7KDOLD7UXMLO- ORVDLGVKHJDYHDQDSSOHWRD MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO teacher as one of the acts of NLQGQHVV VKH SHUIRUPHG WKLV McNary Heights Elementary School students lead their school ZHHN )RXUWKJUDGHU (PLOLR in the Pledge of Allegiance Friday morning after being named Jaimez said he helped his the character trait students of the week for following rules, physical education teach- displaying good behavior and being kind to others HU FDUU\ LQ HTXLSPHQW DQG FKHFNHGRIINLQGDFWVIURP WKHFKDOOHQJHOLVWWKLVZHHN 36TH ANNUAL Additionally, students had HERMISTON SPORTS BOOSTERS DFWLYLWLHV WKH\ FRPSOHWHG during lunch and recess that HPSKDVL]HGEHLQJNLQGWRRQH Saturday, March 7th • 5:30pm another and teachers. During Auction starts at 7:00pm one recess, students swarmed the table out on the play- Hermiston Community Center ground in an effort to write For table reservations, VRPHRQHDNLQGQRWH call Paul 541-701-4518 or for “It was chaos. It was so more info., call Joe 541-567-5811 SRSXODU´ ¿IWKJUDGHU DQG $ Everyone 21 years & over welcome. class Vice President Taylor on per pers All proceeds will assist Hermiston High Durfey said laughing. School boys and girl athletic programs. What was especially great This ad generously donated by DERXW WKH ZHHN PDQ\ VWX- dents said, was that no awards RD OFFUTT ZHUHJLYHQIRUWKHHIIRUW a proud community supporter HERMISTONSPORTSBOOSTERS . COM BY MAEGAN MURRAY STEAK FEED & AUCTION 40 INSURANCE Bisnett Insurance is proud to announce J OE Y OUNG is now part of the Bisnett Insurance team in Pendleton. Joe has over 10 years of insurance experience and is excited to be back in a position where he can again assist people with their insurance needs. He specializes in farm/ ranch and commercial insurance, and will soon be pursuing his Agribusiness & Farm Insurance Specialist designation. 121 S. Main Street • Pendleton • 541.276.1418 Online at bisnett.com • 800-303-0419 SOH´7UXMLOORVDLG 7KHSURMHFWZDVRUJDQL]HG by McNary Heights Vice 3ULQFLSDO 5LFN &RWWHUHOO DQG the student body at the school. &RWWHUHOOVDLGKHUHFHLYHGDQ HPDLO LQYLWLQJ KLP WR SDUWLF- ipate in a webinar about the FKDOOHQJH DQG OLNHG ZKDW KH heard. He then presented the idea to the student council, ZKRHOHFWHGWRWDNHLWRQDVD SURMHFW ³,IHHOWKLVZHHNZDVYHU\ successful,” Cotterell said. “I saw a lot of students start the ZHHN LQ FRPSHWLWLRQ PRGH EHLQJNLQGLQRUGHUWRWU\DQG ¿OO WKHLU VKHHW +RZHYHU E\ WKH HQG RI WKH ZHHN , WKLQN HYHU\RQHZDVMXVWKDYLQJIXQ doing things for others. We PRYHG IURP WKH H[WULQVLF WR the intrinsic and really saw RXU VFKRRO¶V FXOWXUH RI NLQG- ness come to life.” In particular, Cotterell said he saw a lot more smiles on students’ faces as they were challenged to smile at people they saw at school. ³,PXVWKDYHEHHQRQHY- eryone’s list because I am VXUH,VDZDOORIWKRVHOLW- WOHVPLOHVWKLVZHHN´KHVDLG Cotterell said it will be fun to analyze all the data collect- HGIURPWKHZHHNWRVHHKRZ PDQ\ DFWV RI NLQGQHVV VWX- dents completed school-wide WKURXJKRXWWKHZHHN Many students said they found the experience of being NLQGHUWKDQXVXDOD³IXQ´DQG SRVLWLYH H[SHULHQFH 0DQ\ said they will also continue GRLQJWKHVDPHNLQGDFWVQRZ WKDWWKH\KDYHVHHQZKDWNLQG of an impact it has on others. ³,ZLOOGH¿QLWHO\NHHSGR- LQJNLQGWKLQJV´'XUIH\VDLG CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States PENDLETON Red Lion - 304 SE Nye Ave. February 18 th • 1:00 pm or 6:00 pm Walk-Ins Welcome! OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071