BENT remains vital to quality of life
By Terry Murry on Thursday, February 15th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team formed in 1983 and has changed with the times. Pendleton Police Det. Sgt. Rick Jackson joined BENT in 2002, and is now stepping away from being in charge of that organization as he will oversee all kinds of cases coming to the department. However, he said BENT will continue to stand strong and while its focus is narcotics, it impacts every community’s quality of life.
Jackson said a police officer asked him if the passage of Measure 110 made him feel like he had wasted his whole career.
“The absolute ignorance of that statement has stuck with me,” he said. “I would like the communities we serve to know that just because the state of Oregon, through Ballot Measure 110, has decriminalized drugs and legislation has severely hampered the way we as law enforcement can enforce criminal law, BENT is firm in its resolve and mission. BENT will continue to work with all community partners, all agencies whether they participate with the BENT program or not with one goal, to hold offenders accountable that are operating in a structured manner to victimize our communities.”
The team is truly a regionalized effort. The commander is Pendleton Police Lieutenant Brandon Gomez. It is also staffed with an Oregon State Police sergeant and nine full-time narcotics detectives. Two of those are from OSP and one each come from the Pendleton, Hermiston, Umatilla Tribal (currently vacant), and Boardman police departments, as well as one each from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston is a BENT believer.
“As the climate has changed in Oregon over the course of years of decriminalization and a removal of accountability from nearly everything, BENT has remained steadfast in working through the problems and delivering high-quality and thorough investigations that result in meaningful and impactful conclusions,” he said. “The Hermiston Police Department is proud of the partnership we have had with BENT for decades and we are grateful for the leadership and oversight provided by other entities.”
Jackson said that many of BENT’s cases are not publicized because those who are arrested one day end up sharing information the next.
“What BENT does is so much more than drug work,” he said. “Whether it be the distribution of drugs, stolen property, violent crimes such as robbery and homicide, or the trafficking of young women for sex, there is one common denominator and that is some element of drug trafficking and or drug use.”
Police Chief Chuck Byram understands that Jackson felt the time was right to step away from narcotics and he’s proud of the work he’s done over the years. He also said his decision about a more streamlined structure for the team is not etched in stone.
“I’m not so stuck in my ways that I can’t pivot when I need to pivot when I think things aren’t going the way that they need to go, or that, hey, I made a decision that wasn’t probably the right decision.” He said. “I can recognize that.”
Jackson credits his career with BENT to having great mentors. He is now a mentor to others, and Byram believes the veteran narcotics officer and others in his department can make a big difference to the leaders of tomorrow.
“Overall, I think this was the right time, because here within the next four to five years there could be up to 200 years of experience eligible to be walking out our doors,” he said. “We have to get people in place to move this agency forward and make it better than how we left it.”
Photo of Det. Sgt. Rick Jackson
