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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2019)
LOCAL A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 Porch pirates cashing in on the digital era By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER Americans spent $126 bil- lion dollars online shopping between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, and according to the research fi rm Adobe Ana- lytics, that number is going to be higher after this year’s holiday season. That’s part of what can make winter months a prime season for “porch pirates,” or people who steal packages from other people’s prop- erty, according to Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts. “This is a crime of oppor- tunity, we have people driv- ing around looking for pack- ages,” he said. “They’ll knock on the door and if no one’s home, they’ll take the package.” He said he’s even known of cases where a thief dresses up as a serviceperson, like a pizza delivery driver, to make sneaking onto proper- ties seem less suspicious. Statistically speaking, it’s diffi cult to count pre- cisely how many package thefts happen in any given area, because they are usu- ally reported as larceny — or personal property — thefts. Larceny also encapsulates shoplifting, car stealing, bike theft and anything snatched from someone’s home. A recent report from Security.org states for every 100,000 people in Oregon, there were almost 2,150 lar- ceny thefts in 2017. Both the Pendleton and Hermiston police depart- ments recommend having personal packages sent to work. Roberts advocates for well-lit front porches, mail- box locks and secured front doors. But in a digital age, there’s a relatively new tool for fi ghting against crime that happens on personal property: doorbell cameras. Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, who noted the number of neighborhood watch groups has decreased signifi cantly in the last 15 years, is a fan. “A lot of people don’t know this, but a confession of a crime is not enough. We have to have additional evidence to help,” he said. “(Doorbell cameras) offer instantaneous high- quality information.” Amazon’s line of doorbell cameras, Ring, has made a splash in the news this year. According to The Washing- ton Post, the company has formed a relationship with over 400 police departments nationwide. The Oregonian reported the Beaverton Police Depart- ment entered a contract with Ring in May and gained access to a modifi ed version of the accompanying Neigh- bors app, which they could use to post crime updates and also request video foot- age from app users for area crimes. Edmiston said the Herm- iston Police Department won’t be endorsing any spe- cifi c camera companies any- time soon. But he’s attended a promotional Ring event at a police chief conference in the past. He said part of the rea- son the Hermiston Police Department hasn’t entered any such agreement has do with splash-back that the Beaverton Police received for theirs. Civil liberties organiza- tions, including the Amer- ican Civil Liberties Union, as well as privacy advo- cates have expressed con- cerns about how increased surveillance could pit neigh- bors against one another, feed on personal bias or vio- late privacy. Roberts noted privacy issues could arise if someone chooses to tilt their doorbell camera toward the public street, and not on their prop- erty, but that on an individ- ual’s property, the footage can be a powerful tool for a smaller community. “It does have signifi - cant evidentiary value,” said Roberts. “Working in small communities, we know most of our criminal population.” Both police chiefs said to obtain Ring footage, they’ll contact an address or that homeowners will turnover the footage willingly after witnessing a theft or crime on their camera. Roberts said otherwise, they’ll have to obtain foot- age through a search warrant or other legal means. Destiny George, a Herm- iston realtor, said she uses Ring and the Neighbors app and fi nds that both keep her feeling in the loop about local crime. “I have two little children and am always on alert,” she stated during a conversa- tion on Facebook. “We hear of more and more crime in our area, especially during the holidays. I shop online a lot, so I like to protect what I purchase.” She said she’s had zero instances of uninvited guests, but that if she did, she’d post that footage online and turn it over to the police. Temperature increases mean fi ner wines for Eastern Oregon By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER The Columbia Valley region is nestled between Bordeaux, France, and Napa Valley, California, accord- ing to Kevin Pogue, profes- sor of geology at Whitman College and grape farmer consultant. Not actually, but in terms of grape growing and wine production. And according to Pogue, just a 2-degree temperature increase could have the Columbia Val- ley wine region in Oregon and Washington producing the same quality of Caber- net Sauvignon that put Napa Valley on the map. Not to say that Califor- nia’s famous wine country will stop producing wines altogether. “Farmers are not dumb,” Pogue said. “They will adjust, and grape growers will adjust.” And they have. In Cali- fornia, some wineries have equipment that “de-alcohol- izes” wine from grapes that have soaked up too much sun and produced lots of alcohol-forming sugars. Some wineries add water or acidify their wines to cope with the effects of a chang- ing climate as well. Pogue spoke recently during a fundraiser for the Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition, where he shared research about the future of Eastern Oregon and Washington wines in the face of climate change. And, while according to a study published in 2016 by the European Geosciences Union, a global temperature increase of just 2 degrees could mean less fresh water; the destruction of coral reefs and the lengthening of heat- waves; it could also mean an increase in the amount of wine produced in the area, Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Dr. Kevin Pogue, a professor in the Geology Department at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., speaks about the eff ects of climate change on wine during an event at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton on Nov. 6. and at other more high-el- evation locations like Spo- kane, Washington. “A little bit of global warming, and you’re going to have a viticulture zone right here in (Pendleton),” Pogue joked. In Milton-Freewater, he said, orchards are being replaced with vines, which take less water to produce. So what’s making the area so great for growing grapes? The Columbia Val- ley region, which has an area of 11 million acres in Washington and part of Ore- gon, has a 10-month, frost- free growing season, which accommodates more grape varieties than a short sea- son would. According to the Oregon Wine Board, hot days and cool nights ensure grapes preserve their acidity. Watermill Winery in Mil- ton-Freewater takes advan- tage of the extended grow- ing season to produce grapes for Syrah and Cabernet wines. “We have a nice long growing season,” said Leon- ard Brown, the vineyard manager at Watermill Win- eries in Milton-Freewa- ter. “We get the ample heat we need for ripening, we also have some good soils around here, adaptable for wine grapes. Probably the worst thing we have here is our cold winters.” And those cold win- ter temperatures started early this year, according to Brown. Last month was the coldest October on record since 1905, which can be devastating for some grapes. “Grapes can’t tolerate cold temperatures,” Brown said. 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