Pendleton Development Commission discusses downtown safety

By Terry Murry on Thursday, November 20th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The Pendleton Development Commission Advisory Committee has been meeting with Police Chief Chuck Byram exploring how to enhance public safety in the downtown area. The committee reported to the PDC this week about some of its findings.

The PDC, which is the Pendleton City Council meeting to discuss and make decisions regarding the city’s urban renewal area, learned of areas that might benefit from better lighting. Surveillance cameras also figured in the discussion. The commissioners talked about how cameras might be seen as an invasion of privacy.

“I think that will be something as we continue down this path that the PDC will have to determine,” Mayor McKennon McDonald said. “What is the intended use of this? How wide do we want that scope to be?”

McDonald pointed out that with current technology, it is possible to be very selective in what is recorded.

Photo of the Pendleton City Council/Pendleton Development Commission provided by the city of Pendleton.