A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
LOCAL NEWS
SafeOregon tip line provides life-saving service
Judge Hill honored as
distinguished alumnus
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
HERMISTON HERALD
SafeOregon has only
been active in Eastern Ore-
gon for two years, but it has
already saved at least one
life.
Late last year, a Herm-
iston teen used the anony-
mous tip line to alert police
that one of their peers was
suicidal. Police went to the
home and found the child in
his room with a belt around
his neck, unconscious. Offi-
cers performed CPR and
a sternum rub, and got the
person breathing on his
own. He was then taken
to a hospital and received
treatment. The two officers,
Riley Studebaker and Der-
rick Williams, were given
lifesaving awards for their
work.
Hermiston Police Chief
Jason Edmiston said since
the service has been in
place, his department has
followed up on three calls,
all of which have been tips
about attempted suicide.
But the tip line is avail-
able for students who wants
to report anything from
self-harm to harassment and
bullying, and is available
in most schools in Eastern
Oregon.
The free service oper-
ated by Oregon State Police
allows students to ask for
help via call, text, email,
a web portal or an app on
their phones. It operates
around the clock, 365 days
a year. Students can remain
completely anonyous.
Adults appreciate the
extra set of eyes.
“The biggest piece is
that we’re adults, but we
don’t see or hear every-
thing,” said Stacie Roberts,
principal at Armand Larive
Middle School in Hermis-
ton. “With students (giving)
information, they’re also a
voice for students who may
not have one.”
Hermiston School Dis-
trict, along with the Inter-
Mountain Education Ser-
vice District, were two of the
pilot programs for SafeOre-
Share a tip
To submit a tip to SafeOregon, call or text 844-472-3367,
or visit www.safeoregon.com.
Get some help
Other resources to help prevent suicide or address other
crises include:
•National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
•Spanish Language National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-888-628-9454
•Umatilla County Crisis Line: 541-240-8030
•Crisis Text Line: 741741
•Lines for Life: linesforlife.org
•OregonYouthLine.org: 1-877-968-8491 or text “teen-
2teen” to 839863
•The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ youth): 1-866-4-U-TREVOR
•Native Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-877-209-1266
•Military Helpline: 888-457-4838 or text MIL1 to 839863
•Alcohol and Drug Helpline: 800-923-4357 or text Recov-
eryNow to 839863
“If you are in a bad place, you can go get help. It’s
helping to make school a positive place to come and
learn and be themselves.”
Stacie Roberts, principal at Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston
gon in late 2016 and early
2017, said Jodi Sherwood,
the tip line coordinator for
the Oregon State Police.
Roberts said before the
tip line, students could
report things to their teach-
ers or administrators, but the
anonymous nature of SafeO-
regon makes it more likely
that they will ask for help.
“That took a lot for stu-
dents,” Roberts said of the
old system. “I think we
missed a lot, because of the
‘What if they see me walk-
ing into the office, or talking
to the teacher,’” Roberts
said. “It’s unreal to know
what kids could have been
reporting all these years to
make school a safe place.”
When a student reports
an incident, tip line techni-
cians will evaluate and clas-
sify them by urgency. “Stan-
dard tips” are those that
don’t present any immedi-
ate risk of bodily harm, and
make up about 85 percent
of calls, Sherwood said. For
those calls, school admin-
istrators will be notified
by email. With urgent tips,
such as a report of a fight
that’s supposed to happen at
school, administrators will
be called within 10 min-
utes. If necessary, SafeOre-
gon will notify the local dis-
patch service too, so they
can contact police.
Sherwood said about
950 of Oregon’s 1,250
schools are signed up for
SafeOregon.
Roberts said Armand
Larive will typically get
anywhere from two to 10
tips a week, ranging in
severity. Regardless of the
nature, the school follows
up on every incident, even if
a child reports being pushed
in the hall. They will ask the
student named in the report
about the behaviors, and try
to find out what’s going on.
“We’ve got to change
those negative and unsafe
behaviors,” she said.
She added that while it
does happen, it’s uncom-
mon for kids to use the
reporting system as a joke,
or make false reports.
Some of the tips are more
urgent, Roberts said. They
have caught children post-
ing photos of themselves
cutting their arms, or other
suicidal tendencies, and
have been able to intervene.
Edmiston said so far,
he feels the service has
worked.
“The traditional model
of policing — something
bad happens, and police
respond — is almost non-
existent. We’re forced to be
as proactive as possible, and
this is a proactive measure.”
Sherwood said since the
Parkland, Florida shooting
incident, there have been
more tips coming in.
“As people started to
hear about what they should
be reporting, they started
reporting more,” she said.
The most recent data
shows that nearly 700 tips
have come in over the past
year, and close to 300 of
those are for bullying and
harassment. Other catego-
ries include possession or
distribution of drugs, threat
of assault, suicide threats
(self-reported or reported by
others), and sexual assault
or harassment.
Roberts said the service
is available for parents to
report concerns, as well.
Roberts said they train
their students how to use
the reporting system every
year, and that she and some
Armand Larive students
made a presentation about
the service at a recent state
school board conference.
“If you are in a bad place,
you can go get help,” Rob-
erts said. “It’s helping to
make school a positive
place to come and learn and
be themselves.”
Judge Daniel Hill has
been selected as the dis-
tinguished alumnus for the
Hermiston School District,
a title that brings more
responsibility this year.
Hill will spend Friday
at Hermiston High School,
where he will meet with
students and administrators
and answer questions from
seniors about his career.
Then on June 7, Hill will
be a featured speaker at the
HHS commencement cere-
mony at the Toyota Center
in Kennewick.
For the last three years,
the distinguished alum-
nus has been announced in
May and been a part of the
graduation ceremony. The
process changed this year,
according to a press release
from the school district, to
give the alumnus a chance
to serve as a mentor before
graduation.
Hill is a 1979 graduate
of Hermiston High School
and went on to earn an
associate’s degree from
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College, a bachelor’s
degree from Oregon State
University and his doctor-
ate from the Willamette
University School of Law.
He began his ten-
ure as circuit court judge
for the 6th Judicial Dis-
trict in Umatilla and Mor-
row counties. In 2017 he
was promoted to Brigadier
General, U.S. Army, Assis-
tant to the Chief Counsel,
National Guard Bureau
and National Guard Advi-
sor to the Judge Advocate
General of the US Army.
Interest-free loans for
home repair available
HERMISTON HERALD
HERMISTON
—
Homeowners struggling to
afford repairs can now take
advantage of the Housing
Rehabilitation Revolving
Loan Program.
The program, offered
in a partnership between
Greater Eastern Oregon
Development Corporation
and the city of Hermiston,
allows homeowners to use
loans with a zero percent
interest rate to make essen-
tial home repairs. They are
not required to make any
repayment on the loan until
they sell the home.
Repairs covered by the
program include health
concerns such as asbestos
removal, structural repairs,
roof repairs, weatheriza-
tion, electrical repairs,
plumbing repairs, heating
system repairs or acces-
sibility items like wheel-
chair ramps.
Applicants must own
and occupy the home in
question and have enough
equity in the home to
secure the loan, but be
low to moderate income.
The home must be located
within Hermiston and not
in a flood zone. Manu-
factured homes must be
newer than 1978 and the
homeowners must main-
tain hazard insurance until
the loan is repaid.
“This is a great oppor-
tunity for older workers, or
seniors who are on a fixed
income and want to remain
in their homes, but can’t
afford major repairs,”
Mayor David Drotzmann
said in a news release.
For more information
visit www.geodc.net/hous-
ing-programs or contact
Judy Moore of GEODC
at 541-612-7090 or judy.
moore@geodc.net.
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