Local law enforcement agencies discuss creating DUII Task Force
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, March 4th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — Dozens of representatives from law enforcement and other agencies in Baker, Union and Malheur counties met in Baker City to learn and discuss banding together to create a task force to keep more drunk drivers off the roads.
The event, held at the Baker County Fairgrounds Event Center on Thursday, February 29 was organized by the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Safety Office.
Presenting to the group of officers were guests from the North Idaho DUII Task Force, who gave a presentation about their experience creating the task force and how they made it one of the most successful in the Pacific Northwest.
Detective Justin Kitch of the Idaho State Police was the brainchild of the task force, after he saw first hand the amount of drunk drivers in the Coeur D’Alene area.
He told the group that it bothered him and other officers so much that they had to do something. He said the catalyst was a crash that
“We had to change the mindset and go where the problem was, not let the problem come to us,” said Detective Klitch. “The worst phrase in the world is “we’ve always done it this way.””
He explained how in just five years, north Idaho went from worst to first in DUII’s, increasing arrests by more than 300 a year.
He then explained the steps taken to organize it and keep the task force effective. Other Task Force members from Idaho also explained the importance of community outreach efforts.
Officers from local agencies were all asked if a task force could work in Eastern Oregon. While many of the agencies agreed it’s a great idea, major concerns are staffing issues, funding and Oregon laws.
“It’s much easier to arrest someone in Idaho than Oregon for DUII and hold them accountable,” said one Ontario police officer. “We have so many prohibitive laws in this state that DUII arrests have plummeted.”
“People joke that Oregon is a great place to drive drunk and high,” replied an officer from Baker City.
On the funding issue, a representative from the ODOT’s “Oregon Impact” group says there is ample funding available for Oregon counties to begin task forces.
But Chief Michael Iwai of the Ontario Police expressed concerns that it may be difficult to get cities on board.
“The challenge is keeping the momentum going. We’ve done things like this and they falter because of a lack of support and staffing,” said Chief Iwai. “We can have all the funding, but it comes back to staffing and convincing city managers and city councils to move forward.”
After nearly five hours of training and discussions, local agencies say they like the idea and would like to research and discuss it further.
“For this to work, we need results, compatibility and teamwork,” said one Baker County law enforcement official.
“Frame a task force for what’s best for this region. Our message is that a couple people can step up and start something,” said Detective Kitch. “Start small, think big.”
Billie-Jo Nickens from ODOT says she hopes this is a conversation that continues.
“I’m hopeful that with the conversations started today and the strong partnerships that we already have in eastern Oregon, that this training may have sparked some interest and we can see some movement towards building our own local DUII Task Force.”
