Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office

Newsletter—November 2017

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office is saddened to share that we lost another member of our family on October 11, 2017. Jesse Gilbert Villarreal worked at the Umatilla Co. SO from November 1997 until October of 2016. He was a Marine, serving for 6 years in Vietnam, and a life-long advocate and support-er of our veterans. Jesse was an integral part of our team

during his time with us, having worked in several capacities, including as a Corrections Officer before becoming the Transport Officer for the Jail. Jesse was a devoted family man, speaking often about his wife, Jeanine, and his three children and multiple

grandchildren. He was also an avid horseman, involved in several community organizations, as well as caring for his own many horses and animals on his ranch. Jesse was a teacher, a mentor and a friend. His sense of humor, affection for his friends and his no-nonsense attitude have already been greatly missed. Those of us who were lucky enough to have worked with Jesse will feel the loss of his experience, but more severely, we will forever grieve the loss of his friendship. Jesse will always be a cherished member of our family. We miss him and we send our deepest love and sympathy to Jeanine and the family.

In Memory Of

Deputy Jesse Villarreal

Umatilla County Fair August 8-12, 2017 This year the Umatilla County Fair was held at the new location, EOTEC in Hermiston. Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office coordinated security at the fair. Because it was the first time at this new location, lots of preparation was need to anticipate any needs. UCSO supervisors dedicated hours to advanced planning and coordination. Both Full Time and Reserve Deputies were assigned shifts to work. UCSO Coordinated with other Law Enforcement agencies to assist also, including Parole and Probation, OSP, Walla Walla PD, Umatilla PD, Stanfield PD, Hermiston PD, and Pendleton PD. This year a Security Trailer was set up for use as a Command Site. Dispatch was able to set up a console within the trailer. Individual Dispatchers were assigned on site to handle all radio traffic associated with the fair, effectively taking the added burden off the Communications Center in Pendleton. UCSO employees from Search and Rescue, Emergency Management and other Divisions also manned booths. Security handled minor incidents, utilized a reunification station to reunite lost kids with their parents, and dealt with traffic issues. The heat was a significant factor in some citizen assists, with tempera-tures in the 100’s and reaching a high of 104 on Thursday. No major incidents occurred. Thanks to all our community partners involved in the process. A special thank you to our Law Enforcement partners. Helping each other is vital to the success of a large event. We ap-preciate you and look forward to returning the favor!

Security Command Trailer

Leadership Pendleton On August 9, 2017 Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office was visited by the Leadership Pendleton program. Leadership Pendleton is a class sponsored by the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce in which potential leaders and professionals attend an 8 hour day each month for 8 months. The group attends briefings, seminars and tours. They are presented with opportunities to learn from and discuss issues with current business, social and political leaders. Each year the Sheriff’s Office participates during their Law & Public Safety training day. Our own Undersheriff, Jim Littlefield, has been part of this year’s class. This day the group was given a tour of the facilities, including the dispatch center and jail. They also listened to a presentation by the Sheriff and a summary of each division’s responsibilities. To find out more about this program and tuition costs visit the following website: www.pendletonchamber.com/leadership-pendleton

Stolen Vehicle Recovered and Suspect Arrested in Washington On August 10, 2017 Deputy Reitz responded to a report of a stolen GMC Sierra pickup in the area of Hotel Rd in Meacham. The vehicle had been stolen from behind a locked gate and four No Trespassing signs. The gate had been torn open with a cable and the gate and locks were broken. A firearm was also reported to be in the vehicle. Deputy Reitz contacted OnStar which was showing a locate in Selah Washington. Washington State Patrol responded to the vehicle location and arrested 39 year old Daniel POE, from South Carolina, on the charges of Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Possession of Stolen Firearm, Theft of Firearm and Theft of Motor Vehicle. Additional charges will be filed in Oregon.

Sheriff’s Office Awarded Reimbursement Funding for Purchase of new Ballistic Vests The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has was awarded reimbursement funding under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program in the amount of $5,390.79 for the purchase of new ballistic vests. The BVP program is through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, US Department of Justice. The award reimburses up to 50% of the cost of each vest. The average cost of an armor vest is $700. This award will assist the Sheriff’s Office with reimbursement for the purchase of new vests for the Criminal Division, Corrections Division and Reserves. Sheriff’s Office has until August 31, 2019 to use the available funds.

In October, UCSO received a report of a scam in the Pendleton Area. The reporter responded to an ad on Craigslist regarding a house for Rent in Pendleton. When she contacted the person , the “landlord” claimed to be a reverend from Africa and stated the home was for rent for $800.00. When the reporter drove by the residence, she was able to speak with a gentleman at the home who had recently lost his wife and sold the home. The house was not for rent. In this case the reporter did a smart thing and checked out the information before taking action. Website listings and social media can be a great place to find ads. However, they are also places scammers like to advertise. We receive reports daily of persons contacted by scammers. Here are some tips to make sure you are not scammed.

1. Do not pay anyone you have not met in person. Avoid suspi-cious payment methods, wire transfers, transfers to 3rd party and remember money orders and checks can be counterfeited.

2. Beware of offers involving shipping and only purchase from persons you can meet in person in a safe, public place.

3. Never provide personal or financial information.

4. Sounds too good to be true? —it is!

Did you know? The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center accepts reports of scams. You can report these to the FTC at: 877-382-4357 Phone and Internet Scams have become a routine occurrence in this age of technology . When you

receive one of these “calls” it is hard to even know where the caller is from. They can be in a different State or even Country. As a result, knowing where to report them can be confusing as well. UCSO refers callers reporting an out of area scam to the FTC. For practical tips and the latest scam information check out their website at: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

Solar Eclipse Day August 21, 2017 was a historical day for Oregonians as our state was in the direct path of a total solar eclipse. A large amount of preparation happened behind the scenes with emergency responders preparing for

the worst and hoping for the best. In the end, the event came and went with a spectacular sky view and heavy traffic, but no huge emergency responses were needed.

Some even got to pause and enjoy the rare event before it was business as usual.

City of Weston Contract Renewed Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has renewed their contract to pro-vide Law Enforcement services to the City of Weston through 06.30.2020 Cities contracts are mutually beneficial by providing Law Enforcement coverage to a city and funding deputy positions for the Sheriff’s Office. Thank you for the vote of confidence, we value this partnership.

FELONY ARRESTS for Burglary and Drug Charges On September 7th, 2017 at approximately 1905hrs, Deputy RANKIN responded to a report of a burglary in progress on Joy Lane in Hermiston. Upon arrival, Deputy RANKIN, noticed the front door to the residence was open. He detained two subjects, Rebecca RAMIREZ and Daryl FREDERICKSON and waited for a cover unit to arrive. Investigation on scene resulted in multiple charges including, Delivery of Controlled Substance - Meth, Possession of Controlled Substance - Meth, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Burglary, Interfering with Police Officer, and Warrant arrest. Over 200 grams of meth was seized. Both subjects were lodged at Umatilla County Jail.

Four Footed Hitchhiker Takes a Ride November 7th, 2017 early in the morning Sheriff's Office staff noticed a small kitten in the parking lot huddled under a vehicle belonging to Kelsey in the Civil Division. When approached, the kitten gladly (but cautiously) accepted an invitation to come inside out of the cold After a fair amount of "oohing” and “ahhhing” and comments of “how sweet", we

did what we are trained to do and started an investigation into the origin of our small visitor. It appears our little visitor hitched a ride the night before with Kelsey, and her husband when they visited a residence in Hermiston after work. The kitten crawled up inside the engine of their vehicle, road from the kitten’s home to their home in Hermiston, spent the night in the vehicle engine and then hitched a ride all the way to the Sheriff’s Office in Pendleton, the next morning, finally climbing down while in our parking lot. That is a huge effort to get a tour of the Sheriff’s Office. Happily this little tyke survived the adventure and seemed no worse for wear. Owner and kitten were reunited.

Learning the Ropes For several weeks, Hayden Pollock was a face we became used to seeing around the office. Hayden came to us from Western Oregon University to complete over 400 hours of professional experience at UCSO for his college practicum in the field of Criminal Justice. In his many weeks with us, Hayden was able to spend time with each division and learn the diverse responsibilities of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. On his first day he was sworn in by Sheriff Rowan. From that day on he experienced, shadowing Civil Deputies, observing Dispatch, working with Jail staff, riding along with the Criminal Division, working the County Fair and touring Hanford with Emergency Management; just to name a few. We thank him for selecting UCSO and giving us the opportunity to share our agency with him. We wish him the very best as he pursues a career in law enforcement.

Emergency Manager, Tom Roberts, was appointed by the governor to the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board through May of 2021. Tom will be filling the public safety seat as a representative of the NE Oregon Public Safety Community. As part of that appointment, he attended a tour of the Hanford Site, including the Historic B Reactor, which was the 1st full scale

nuclear reactor in the world and was decommissioned in 1968. Congratulations, we know you will represent us well!

Stolen Coins and Silver Bars Recovered—Suspect Arrested On October 3, 2017 Detectives from Umatilla County Sheriffs Office received a call from Pasco PD in the State of Washington requesting assistance to investigate a residential burglary involving the theft of a collection of coins and silver bars that occurred in their city. The suspect, Nathanial SALAMANCA, 32 years old, from Umatilla, had been recently fired by a company previously hired to clean the ducts in the victim’s home. UCSO Detectives assisted Pasco PD in obtaining and executing a search warrant for SALAMANCA’s residence in Umatilla. An investigation was conducted. Several persons suspected to be involved in the sale or attempted sale of the property were interviewed. Although not all stolen items were recovered the investigation eventually led to the arrest of SALAMANCA and the recovery of over $4,700 dollars in coins and silver bars. The property was turned over to the Pasco Detectives as evidence and UCSO detectives forwarded a report to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s office for consideration of charges against four suspects involved in Oregon as well. Charges include Theft I by Deception, Theft I By Receiving and Conspiracy to Commit Theft I by Deception. Criminals frequently cross jurisdictional lines. Building strong relationship with other law enforcement agencies is critical to solving cases. UCSO is happy to assist. Great job detectives!

CONGRATULATIONS! On October 4, 2017 Jaime Shockman, Records Clerk at the Hermiston Sheriff’s Office, was awarded the Umatilla County Employee Excellence Award. The award acknowledges and commends the efforts of employees who serve the citizens of the county efficiently and effectively with a focus on professional development and outstanding customer service. We couldn’t agree more. Great job Jaime!!

Jaime and Commissioner Elfering

Retired Reserve Deputy Awarded OPOA Public Service Award

Deputy Mike Hagan was awarded the Public Service Award by the Oregon Peace Officers Association on November 2, 2017 in recognition of outstanding service to the community. Deputy Hagan was presented with the award at the Annual OPOA banquet held at Sprit Mountain Conference Center in Grande Ronde, Oregon. Deputy Hagan started in 1970 as a Reserve Deputy with Marion County Sheriff’s Office, where he spent 25 years, rising to the rank of Reserve

Captain. In 1995 he moved to Pendleton for his full time job in the Oregon National Guard and became a Reserve Deputy for Umatilla County SO in 1997. He served as a UCSO solo reserve and on the reserve advisory board. Deputy Hagan retired in July of 2017 . Mike, thank you for 45 years of volunteer service in Law Enforcement! Congratulations!

Mike Hagan& Daughter Holly

Hagan and Elsa Navarro, President of OPOA

Hayden at Hanford Tour

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! On November 13, 2017, Harry Hockett retired after 18 years as a Court Security Officer. Harry previously retired as an officer with Pendleton PD after 27 years of service. He has a total of 45 years in law

enforcement. Wow! Harry, we will miss you and wish you all the best in your future. Enjoy your second retirement and thank you for your service!

Congratulations Graduates! The following employees have

graduated from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Basic Police

T. STARK C. WHITE C. SLETTE

Telecommunications

and EMD

Telecommunications

Academic Achievement Award C. SLETTE was awarded the “Carol

Fagan” Academic Achievement Award for Basic Telecommunications Class BT105 dur-ing the graduation ceremony from DPSST.

The Carol Fagan award is granted to the top academic student of the class. Way to Go!!

A Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Core Value

To continue to seek and retain professional and competent staff as well as continue the professional

development of all employees.

WELCOME! Deputy Rowen HAYES joined the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office on October 2, 2017. Deputy Hayes has over 27 years of law enforcement experience. He first moved to this area in 1999 from the Maui County Police Department in Hawaii where he had 10 years of law enforcement experience, including assignments to Ocean Safety, Patrol and Statewide Task Force. When arriving in Umatilla County, he was hired by Pendleton Police Department and while employed there started a Motors and Traffic Safety program and was a member of the SWAT Team. He then went to work overseas in Afghanistan under a corporate State Department Contract for 2.5 years. Upon returning to this area, he was hired by Umatilla Tribal Police Department and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Deputy Hayes holds certifications and training in Supervision, Firearms Instruction, Collision Investigation, Tactical Training Initiative Instruction, Government to Government Liaison, and Field Training Officer/ Coordinator among others. We are excited to have him join our team and look forward to the experience and knowledge he has to offer.

WELCOME! Deputy Roy SWIGER joined the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office on November 1, 2017. Deputy Swiger began his law enforcement career as a Reserve Officer with the City of Milton-Freewater in 1998. He was sworn in as a full time officer with that agency in November of 2001. He served with Milton-Freewater PD until April of 2005, when he transferred to Forest Grove Police Department. While with Forest Grove PD, he was a Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, Con Sim Instructor, and a Less Lethal and Taser Instructor. Deputy Swiger has been with Forest Grove PD for 12 1/2 years and currently holds an advanced police certificate. Five of those years he spent assigned to the Transit Police Division, in which he was a member of a multi agency task force providing safety and security on the Tri-Met public transportation system. In returning to Umatilla County, he is returning to his roots. We are excited he is of part of our team and excited about the experience and knowledge he brings with him.

D. MORRISON Basic Corrections

D. HOISINGTON Basic Corrections

J. PICARD Basic Corrections

NEW GRANT FUNDED POSITION—WELCOME! Deb Green joined the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office on November 1, 2017. Deb was hired as a Corrections Service Specialist for the Umatilla County Jail (UCJ). This position was newly created as a Sheriff’s Office position in cooperation with Community Corrections. It is funded by the Justice Reinvestment Grant through the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. The main duties include teaching Cognitive classes that are Evidence Based and Drug and Alcohol Classes inside the jail. Deb has over 4 years direct experience in this field and over 10 years as a medical assistant. She has worked for Pathfinders of Oregon teaching cognitive based curriculum at EOCI and TRCI. For the past year Deb has been the Alcohol and Drug Counselor in UCJ, doing assessments and teaching cognitive based classes through a contracted position. This new position is supervised exclusively by the jail and we are excited to have her working directly for us. Her experience, dedication and enthusiasm is exactly the type of professional staff we are looking for.

Outstanding Defensive Tactics Award J. PICARD was awarded the “Outstanding De-fensive Tactics Award” for Basic Corrections

Class BCL029 during the graduation ceremony from DPSST. Awesome Job!!