WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL
County steps up for mentally ill
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Umatilla County is step-
ping up to reduce the num-
ber of mentally ill people in
the county jail.
Commissioner George
Murdock said mental illness
is a major concern nation-
wide and Umatilla County
is no different.
“We have way too many
people in jail suffering from
mental illness,” he said.
To help take on the prob-
lem, the county board of
commissioners is adopt-
ing the Stepping Up Ini-
tiative, a national program
to get county officials to
work with law enforcement,
judges, district attorneys
and treatment providers to
divert people with mental
illness from jails and into
treatment.
The National Asso-
ciation of Counties, The
Council of State Govern-
ments Justice Center and
the American Psychiat-
ric Association Founda-
tion launched the initiative
in May 2015. According to
stepuptogether.org, the ini-
tiative’s website, 449 coun-
ties nationwide participate
with 19 in Oregon, includ-
ing Sherman, Gilliam and
Union counties.
Murdock said the reso-
lution to step into Stepping
Up acknowledges the men-
tal health situation the coun-
try faces:
•Two million people with
serious mental illness end
up in jails each year across
the nation.
•Jail populations have
three to six times as many
adults suffering from seri-
ous mental illness as the
general population.
•Adults with mental ill-
ness who go to jail tend
to have longer stays and a
higher rate of re-offending
than people without mental
illness.
Sheriff Terry Rowan ear-
lier this year sought $1 mil-
lion from the Legislature to
renovate the jail to accom-
modate inmates with mental
health issues. The state did
not fund the investment.
Under this new call to
action, the county promises
to take several steps to tackle
the crisis, from setting up a
team to address safe reduc-
tion in jail to tracking data
on the mentally ill coming
into jail, as well as identi-
fying local and state policy
and funding barriers to treat-
ment and to sharing what it
learns with other counties.
Rowan said he supports
Stepping Up, but there may
be a practical limit on its
effectiveness.
“The only concern I have
is resources available to the
population to go to this,” he
said. “That’s what we seem
to have to battle against day
in and day out.”
Much of what Stepping
Up strives to achieve, he
said, aligns with the goals of
Oregon’s Justice Reinvest-
ment Act, which provides
state funding for local pro-
grams to reduce the prison
population, hold offend-
ers accountable, cut back
on offenders committing
new crimes and increasing
the public safety. Rowan
said more Oregon coun-
ties adopting the initiative
could create a tipping point
for state lawmakers to take
notice and create a behav-
ioral reinvestment program.
Murdock also advocates
for that approach. The state
in 2014 shut down the Blue
Mountain Recovery Cen-
ter, a psychiatric facility in
Pendleton, but did not estab-
lish a new one. He said the
Justice Reinvestment Act is
a model that works well and
it cost effective.
“If the state would make
a companion mental health
reinvestment initiative, I
think that would make huge
inroads for us,” he said.
The county commission-
ers vote on the Stepping Up
Initiative when they meet
Tuesday starting at 9 a.m. at
the courthouse in Pendleton.
Lorence honored
as Administrator
of the Year
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY HEIDI SIPE
Distracted driving could add up to jail time
Bob Lorence shows off his Administrator of the Year
award in Seaside.
ored June 22 in Sea-
side by the Oregon Small
School Association. In a
copy of his acceptance
speech provided by USD,
he called his time at the
high school the most chal-
lenging and rewarding
of his career, and said he
had felt honored recently
to be able to present high
school diplomas to the
students that he once wel-
comed to McNary Heights
Elementary School as
kindergartners.
HERMISTON HERALD
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Penalties for using your
phone while driving started
adding up on Sunday — in
some cases all the way up to
possible jail time for repeat
offenders.
While Oregon’s new,
stricter distracted driving
law went into effect last
October, drivers had a grace
period where offenses were
dealt with individually.
Now, the fines will get big-
ger with each offense after
July 1.
“If it’s not enough
encouragement to think you
might contribute to a crash,
think that the police might
be out specifically look-
ing for people using their
phones, and the dollars
can add up,” said Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion spokesperson Shelley
Snow.
A first offense not con-
tributing to a crash is a Class
B violation with a fine of up
to $1,000. A second offense,
or first offense contribut-
ing to a crash, is a Class A
violation with a fine of up
to $2,000. Three offenses
within 10 years ramps up
to a Class B misdemeanor
— meaning a fine of up to
$2,500, a criminal record
and a possible penalty of up
to 6 months in jail.
Drivers under 18 can’t
use any electronic devices
while driving, even if they
are hands-free. Adults can
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
New laws that went into effect with the new year include stiffer penalties for texting while
driving.
use hands-free devices but
cannot use any function on
a phone or other electronic
device like a tablet that
requires holding or touch-
ing the device beyond a sin-
gle touch to activate. The
rules include drivers who
are stopped at a traffic sig-
nal or stuck in stand-still
traffic.
A few exemptions apply,
including drivers making
a 911 call during an emer-
gency and profession-
als such as bus drivers and
ambulance drivers who are
acting in the scope of their
employment.
ODOT reported that
this year an unofficial tally
shows Oregon has had 172
traffic fatalities so far, up
17.8 percent from this time
last year. From 2012-2016,
according to the depart-
ment, Oregon saw 10,814
crashes involving a dis-
tracted driver, including 70
fatalities.
“Distracted driving is an
epidemic in Oregon, and
the consequences can be
deadly,” Troy E. Costales,
Transportation Safety Divi-
sion administrator, said in a
statement. “Everyone using
the transportation system
– drivers, bicyclists and
pedestrians alike – should
put away the distractions
when traveling to help elim-
inate these tragedies.”
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Umatilla High School
Principal Bob Lorence has
been named 2018 Admin-
istrator of the Year by
the Oregon Small School
Association.
Lorence has worked for
Umatilla School District
for 27 years, starting out
as an elementary school
principal, and has been
UHS principal since 2016.
A news release from
Umatilla School District
called him a “transforma-
tional” leader known
for his willingness to
serve his students and
staff. Nominator Julie
Hunt, the district’s spe-
cial education director,
described him as “sin-
cere and strategic in his
efforts.”
“Though he never
seeks the spotlight, he
is a deserving award
recipient,” said Super-
intendent Heidi Sipe.
“Umatilla schools are
fortunate to have Mr.
Lorence as a valued
member of our leader-
ship team.”
Lorence was hon-
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