Edmiston: Shots-fired incidents are not just a Hermiston problem
By Terry Murry on Monday, October 23rd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HPD joins forces on shots fired incidents
HERMISTON – Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston addressed the city council Monday night regarding the increased number of shots-fired incidents in Hermiston, Umatilla, and Umatilla County.
“What we know is we are dealing with a relatively small number of individuals choosing to engage in reckless criminal acts involving guns,” he wrote in an email prior to the meeting. “We have responded to numerous shootings within the city and we have assisted other agencies with shootings outside our service area.”
Edmiston said that he has reached out to area leaders for face to face discussions about the uptick. He added that Lt. Robert Guerrero has hosted an intel meeting involving investigators from other agencies to attempt to coalesce all investigations earlier this month. He said the stumbling block to investigating the incidents is that most of the people involved do not cooperate with officers.
That means they must rely on the evidence gathered at the scenes to build cases against the few who are involved. The Oregon State Police prioritizes its work on such evidence, which is out of the hands of local law enforcement.
He wrote that efforts to end the shootings also include reaching out to federal law enforcement officers. He said they will soon receive assistance from a criminal analyst who will look at the details of all the incidents in a search for common threads.
“We know the players involved but again struggle with assistance,” he said referring to witnesses who know more than they are willing to tell police.
They have also received assistance from the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office. That office has issued numerous search warrants related to the investigations over the past several weeks.
Edmiston added that investigators have maintained a relationship with other partners in the community, including regular communications with Hermiston School Superintendent Tricia Mooney as does Capt. Travis Eynon and Capt. Scott Clark. Mooney, he said, has also been in communication with City Manager Byron Smith.
“Sheriff (Terry) Rowan and other leaders in our area have discussed these matters at previous administrative meetings and I anticipate we will continue to do so as we meet monthly in Pendleton at the sheriff’s office,” he wrote.
Currently, the Hermiston Police Department is operating with a staff shortage of six people. Edmiston said the small staff is also dealing with the shots-fired incidents as well as all the other calls for service.
The chief also presented the council with the third quarter crime statistics at the meeting. Violent crimes are down 23 percent from 2022. Total crime is up 37 percent over the 10 year average, with the primary driver being property crimes which rose 38 percent over the 10-year average. Larceny jumped up by 50 percent, which Edmiston said relates to petty thefts from residential areas and shoplifting from commercial establishments.
