More officers equal more responses to criminal activity

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The month of August was busy for the Pendleton Police Department. Chief Chuck Byram said the department recorded a larger number calls for service when compared to the same period in 2023.

“There were about 400 more calls for service for the month,” Byram said. “At first look, you would think the more calls for service means more crime.”

Turns out that wasn’t the case. For the first time in several years, PPD was fully staffed.

“When I looked closer at the numbers, I look at ‘on-view’ activity, meaning the officers are out there generating the calls for service themselves versus people calling in to report activity. The ‘on-view’ activity outpaced the dispatched activity.”

Having more officers makes a big difference for the department. “They’re identifying stuff that they need to do without the public having to call us,” Byram said. “I’m happy to see that they’re out there now, because they’re doing a really good job for us.”