Annual Goals and Objectives - 2011

Customer Service

Provide police and dispatch services consistent with the vision and values of our community based policing organization, and serve as ambassadors of the City of Hermiston. Building a high performance organization that emphasizes service delivery to our customers.

Establish Annual Goals

Establish and implement observable, measurable, targeted, and specific performance objectives for each work unit, which correspond to an employee’s assignment and the goals of the department.

Approach to Crime

The department will utilize available intelligence and data, deploy its resources in a timely fashion, and ensure comprehensive follow-up to reported cases. 

Problem Oriented Policing

A structured approach for the implementation of problem oriented policing will be initiated. High call load areas and chronic crime locations will be targeted for application of this crime reduction strategy.

Address Traffic Issues

Provide for a structured approach in dealing with the traffic related issues experienced in the city; utilizing engineering, education and enforcement strategies in dealing with this problem. Ensure every member of the department is pursuing this goal.

Crime Prevention

Continue with the participation by all members of the department in Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch Programs. Utilize technology to enhance the communication and crime prevention efforts with the business community.

Gang Resistance Efforts

Implement strategies for the reduction and elimination of criminal gang activity and associated negative effects upon the community and school environment.

 

 

 

Crime report statistics

January 26, 2012

To the citizens we serve,

Your police department (which consists of employees having lived in the Hermiston area on average for 22.7 years each) has been extremely busy staying on top of some of the trends we were and have been seeing especially in the area of property crime.  This is not to diminish any of the increases we experienced in person crimes or with the homicides that took place in November ‘11 and January (2012).  I am comfortable saying the trends are not solely isolated to Hermiston and numerous factors such as the state of the economy, unemployment, reductions in services especially in/with the state courts, increased price of gold, etc. (I believe) are in play and contributing to this.

Police agencies such as the Hermiston Police Department, are required to report (8) index crimes to the FBI.  With regard to person crime, we track and report Homicide, Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Robbery.  The reportable property crimes are Burglary, Arson, Larceny, and Auto Theft.

Over the course of the last couple weeks, I have given presentations to groups in Hermiston as well as a full report to Mayor Severson, the City Council, and City Manager Ed Brookshier.  Prior to delving into our 2011 statistics, I prefaced the presentation with the flaws that can be found in/with numbers.  For example, agencies are required to report the above crimes but the only oversight in what an agency reports, rests with that agency.  Larger police departments sometimes implement policies where they will only take a set level of crime especially in the area of larceny.  An example of this would be a child’s bicycle having been stolen.  There are agencies that will not dedicate the resources to something as “minor” as this.  The Hermiston Police Department is and remains a full service agency where we take all reports.  We believe it is important not only to our citizens but to the accuracy of reporting, even though this attempt to be as accurate as possible can have negative impact on the perception of crime as compared to others.

Trends

I have made it very public I believe much of what we are experiencing is based on an overall decrease in holding people accountable for their choices and actions.  My intent was not to sling mud at other agencies but was to show some of the frustration the Hermiston Police Department has with the revolving door of arresting the same people over and over again.

You will see in the attachments accompanying this, total crime increased 17%.  This includes a 20% increase in property crime and a 22% decrease in person crime.  Hermiston has always maintained a very low rate of crimes against persons.

• Six-Year Thresholds Table
• Comparison Table, 2012-2011
• Download both in PDF

Homicide

There was no change in homicide from 2010 to 2011 as we had (1) for each year.  As it pertains to the way the FBI tracks statistics that come into them, a homicide that takes place and has multiple victims only counts as (1) homicide per their stats.  For example in 1999 we experienced (2) homicides yet each homicide had two victims for a total of four victims.  The statistics only show (2) homicides for that year.

Rape

We saw a 78% reduction in rape from 2010 to 2011.  We experienced (9) rapes in 2010 which is above the “normal range” scale on the attachment.  For 2011, we investigated (2) reportable rapes.  It goes without saying this is a trend we would like to see continue.

Robbery

We did see a rise in robbery from 2010 to 2011 by 56%.  The normal range for what we have experienced since 2005 for robbery is 8-12 per year.  We saw (14) in 2011 which is a trend we do not like.  In researching the (14), five of the incidents we reported were simple shoplifting where the person attempted, threatened, or used physical force in their escape from loss prevention employees.  There were no weapons in any of those five.  Our arrests (clearance) of reported robberies increased 100% from (7) in 2010 to (14) in 2011.

Aggravated Assault

There was a 27% decrease in aggravated assault from 2010 to 2011.  We also experienced a 15% increase in arrests from one year to the next.  In other words, we had fewer incidents but did a better job clearing the incidents via arrests. 

Burglary

An increase of 33% in burglaries from 2010 to 2011 is a number we do not like.  Though we increased the arrests of burglars by 82%, the trend identified in early Fall was something I shared with City Manager Brookshier and immediately the two of us formed a plan of attack for lack of better words.  Despite the number of burglaries still being within what we would expect the normal range to be (122-164 per year), the previously mentioned factors such as the economy and the increase in gold prices (which has increased the theft of jewelry from homes), led us to create a detective position with the primary focus of property crimes.

Larceny

We did see a 12% increase in larceny from 2010 to 2011 yet the number experienced (614) was well within the normal range of 551-723 over the course of the previous 6 years.  As mentioned before, agencies that truly operate full service reporting will likely have higher rates of larceny than those agencies that pick/choose which crimes they will take and which crimes they report.

Auto Theft

The year 2010 was a bit of an anomaly in auto theft in our region.  We only had (29) reported auto thefts in 2010.  This number jumped to (64) in 2011 for an increase of 121%.  Again, this is a number we do not like.  Our arrests of persons who committed auto theft increased 500% from (3) in 2010 to (18) in 2011.

Arson

We experienced a 100% decrease in arson from (2) reported cases in 2010 to (0) in 2011.

Challenges in 2012

We will always face challenges in our profession yet we are the only profession where our goal is to put ourselves out of business.  Specific to the upcoming year, one of the areas we plan on focusing on is an increased interaction with the community. 

• Increased interaction with community
• Press releases to press, Business Watch, Neighborhood Watch lists
• Department conducted 58 presentations to over 3400 people in 2011, this is a trend we plan on continuing
• Interaction with Hispanic Community
  • (9) employees of the Hermiston Police Department are currently bilingual and the addition of a Gang Intervention Detective will be tasked with reaching out and forming partnerships, expanding existing partnerships, and providing educational opportunities.
• Trying to encourage people to be less likely to be victimized
  • Crime Triangle - in thinking of a triangle with three sides, one being Location, another being Victim, and the third being Offender, if we are able to remove just one of the three from the equation, crime would be non-existent.  We know we have chronic offenders on the streets who often commit crimes of opportunity so having people assist us in creating situations where they are less likely to be victimized is imperative.  An example of this is with vehicles left unattended running in the mornings.  We often find our stolen vehicles taken from one side of town to the opposite side of town.
• Chaplain program
  • I am very excited as we continue to formalize this program with policies and procedures.  The officers have already utilized the (3) chaplains for several incidents involving the death of people.  The chaplains are also riding with the officers and soon will be seen in full uniform alongside the officers.
• Emphasis Patrols in 2012
  • We know when we dedicate resources (often in an overtime capacity) to being proactive; we see positive impact on the shifts immediately following the patrols.  Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg has been incredibly accommodating for us and we will be sending our detectives up to Kennewick to ride with their Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) as we know crime and criminals do not recognize boundaries.
• Public Safety Committee Meetings
  • We have had (4) Public Safety Committee Meetings over the last several weeks.  These meetings are open to the public, publicized on the city website, and provide a good opportunity for citizens to ask questions or express concerns.

If there are any additional concerns or questions, by all means feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,
Jason Edmiston, Acting Chief of Police
541-667-5107 - Direct line

Department Awards

Safety Advocate Award for Looking Beyond the Traffic Ticket

In October 2009, the Hermiston Police Department was recognized at the 2009 Oregon Transportation Safety Conference with the Safety Advocate Award for Looking Beyond the Traffic Ticket.  The award came after partnerships were formed with Larry Campbell, owner of Campbell Motors in Hermiston, and KEPR television in Tri Cities, Washington in/with the creation of a public safety announcement on speeding vehicles in the Hermiston area.

As written by the Transportation Safety Division about the Hermiston Police Department, “In addition to the many traffic safety programs they are involved in, they also are constantly thinking outside the box to try and create ways to provide for their safety of motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians in their community.  Working with KEPR in Tri-Cities, they developed this PSA to address the speeding issue on the I-395 corridor.  Officer Scott Clark from the Hermiston Police Department is the star of the production.”

2006 IACP iXP Leadership in Technology Award Winner

On Behalf of IACP President Mary Ann Viverette and the IACP Technology Coordination Panel, we would like to formally acknowledge the 2006 IACP-iXP Excellence in Technology Award Winners. After an exhaustive and highly competitive review of applications submitted from around the world, the following agencies have been identified as the best in the following competitive category.

Innovation in Information Technology

• Chicago (IL) Police Department - Large Agency Division
• Fort Bragg (VA) Provost Marshal Office - Medium Agency Division
• Hermiston (OR) Police Department - Small Agency Division
• Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments - Regional Division

National Sheriffs Association 2008 National Award For Excellence in Neighborhood Watch

Presented to: Hermiston Police Department

Most Exemplary Neighborhood Watch Program

In 2007, Hermiston Police Department worked with representatives from numerous agencies on 111 projects in the Hermiston area. A notable event is the annual National Night Out celebration in which we sponsored 25 organized parties consisting of some 900 people. The office of crime prevention also cleaned up 117 locations plagued with graffiti. The Crime Prevention Officer gave 67 presentation raging from drug awareness, gangs, bicycle safety, gun safety, CPTED, identity theft, ect. The Crime Prevention Officer also facilitated monthly meetings where members from each Neighborhood Watch Group and the general public can meet with City and Department leaders. This open forum allows for concerns to be raised and questions answered.

DUII MULTI-DISIPLINARY TASK FORCE

Recognized the Hermiston Police Department

For 2004 DUII ENFORCEMENT MUNICIPAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR

In the calendar year 2004 the Hermiston Police Department took a proactive approach in reducing the incidents of impaired driving in the City of Hermiston by our general deterrence efforts as well as our prevention efforts with a 134% increase in DUII arrest, adding a Drug Recogniton Expert to Patrol Staffing, DARE Officer conducted over 30 hours of educational training in the schools, School Resource Officers conducted over 30 hours of training on the dangers of consuming any alcohol to both Middle School and High School aged children, Held Eleven Community Watch Meetings, News Releases and the utilization of a DUII Grant which allowed 250 hours of DUII enforcement in the City of Hermiston.

Dispatch Services

911 Communications

The Hermiston Police Department Communications Center is the PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for the City of Hermiston. The Telecommunications Specialists also dispatch for Emergency Medical and Fire Services for Rural Fire Districts for Hermiston and Stanfield. The Telecommunicators average approximately 13,655, Emergency 911 calls per year.

Telecommunicators for the City of Hermiston are fully certified by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in both Telecommunications/Law Enforcement Dispatch and Emergency Medical Dispatch(EMD). Telecommunicators must re-certify on a yearly basis.

Telecommunicators also perform the records duties for the police department. They also provide window service for the public sector.

The Hermiston Police Department 911 Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and staffs 9 full time Telecommunicators.

In an emergency call: 9-1-1

For non-emergency Police service

• Call 541-567-5519
• Fax 541-567-8469

Records

Police Report Copy Requests $5.00

• Requests made in writing may be mailed to Hermiston Police Department, 330 S 1st St., Hermiston, Oregon 97838

• Please allow 24 hours for processing report copy requests. Copies can be mailed or picked up at the Hermiston Police Department.

• To download a Report Request Form, click on "Forms" at the bottom of the Police Departments main page.

• If you had a motor vehicle accident and are looking for a copy of a report, please wait 2-3 days from the date of the accident before you obtain a copy of the report.

Criminal History/Background Checks

• Please direct any request for Criminal History and Background check to the Oregon State Police, ID Services at 503-378-3070 ext 331.

Fingerprints Services

• Effective September 1, 2008, fingerprint service may be obtained by a scheduled appointment only, on Fridays between 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM. The fee is $20.00, payable by cash, and ID is required. Expired identification cards will not be accepted.

Forms

Forms are provided below in Adobe PDF format.  Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from Adobe's website. 

• Bad Check Packet
• ID Theft Packet
• Forgery Packet
• Records Request
• Vacation House Check - Also available in MS Word Format (.doc)

Hermiston Police Dept. Organizational Chart

Click the image for a full-sized view. 

Lock, Take and Hide

Goal - The goal of the program is to prevent crime by reducing the criminal's opportunity.

The message from business leaders to citizens is clear: we care enough about our residents and patrols to remind them to :

LOCK their cars,

TAKE their keys,

HIDE their belongings

 

By following a few crime prevention tips, citizens can reduce the number of thefts from motor vehicles occurring in the community.

 

• Be aware of your surrondings
• Park in well lighted areas
• Remove visible items from inside your cars such as:

Cash, laptops, handbags, wallets, credit cards, cell phones, MP3's, brief cases, palm pilots, golf clubs, tools, CD's, cassetts, duffle bags, back packs, dry cleaning, radar detectors, shipping bags and boxes.

City parking lots and Good Shepherd Hospital already have been posted with these new signs. Businesses and Apartment complexes can purchase the signs for $25.00 each.

Contact Crime Prevention Officer Erica Sandoval at 667-5112.

 

Police Department Staff

 

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