HPD and PPD have a couple of cops (literally)

By Terry Murry on Friday, March 29th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON and PENDLETON – The most recent graduating class at the Oregon Police Academy featured two graduates with the same last name. Deena Josue is now an officer for the Hermiston Police Department. Peter Josue is an officer for the Pendleton Police Department.

“Peter and his wife both went through the same academy class,” Pendleton Chief Chuck Byram said. “They have two small children so they had to make a lot of sacrifices, but that’s their commitment to the communities they are going to serve.”

Before they decided to become law enforcement officers, Deena Josue was a dispatcher for the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office and Peter Josue worked at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton. Deena’s father works at HPD as well and she said she comes from a family of law enforcement officers.

She grew up in Reno, Nevada and met her husband when he was working in Sacramento. She said the hardest part of the 16-week academy in Salem was leaving their children.

“It was stressful on everyone,” she said. “We luckily had an entire village of people willing to help with them. We had a babysitter keep them through the week. Then a co-worker of mine would pick them up. Then we would drop them off with friends when we had to leave again.”

In addition to spending some weekends at home, the couple also Face-timed their children daily. She said it wasn’t easy, but it worked out in the end.

“It’s nerve wracking leaving your kids for that long,” she said. “I was constantly worried something would happen, but they were in great hands.”