Public sentiment against police worries Rowan
By Terry Murry on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan says law enforcement officers live with danger every time they answer a call. The on-duty death of Nyssa Police Reserve Corporal Joseph Johnson over the weekend illustrates that fact. Rowan said that he is deeply disturbed that there are some people who would celebrate Johnson’s death.
“That’s just the wrong attitude to have,” he said. “We need to work together to establish trust on both sides of the fence on this particular issue.”
The Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation has announced that a memorial service for Johnson, who was also a full-time Department of Corrections employee, will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Nyssa High School. The public is invited and additional venues will be identified in the anticipation that the main venue reaches capacity. If that is the case, the service sill be simulcast to the additional venues. Those venues will be announced later this week.
A law enforcement procession through Ontario and Nyssa will precede the service. Corporal Johnson’s family will be riding in that procession and the public is encouraged to stand along the route to show their support.
Several donation sites have been announced to help the Johnson family. The only one that guarantees that 100 percent of the donations will go to the family is the one operated by the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation at http://bit.ly/support-johnson-family.
