The Umatilla Police Department told the council it is fully staffed, has graduated two academy cadets who are in field training, and recorded 2,370 hours of training among officers and staff in the past six months.
The department reported seven use-of-force incidents in the reporting period; the chief said none of the incidents resulted in injuries to officers or others involved. The chief explained the department logs a broad range of incidents under the "use of force" label, including vehicle pursuits, weapon displays and taser deployments. When asked whether this number represented an increase, the chief said it was "about the same" as previous reporting periods.
The report highlighted specialized training completed by several staff members: Sergeant Tovey finished an FBI executive-development course; Detective Clostro completed trauma-informed interview training and subsequently investigated a serious assault that led to an indictment; and Officer Skilman attended human-trafficking training and is investigating a related case. Communications and records divisions were reaccredited by the NWA alliance, the chief said.
The department also reported community fundraising and engagement successes: the UPD golf tournament netted just over $7,000 to support scholarships and nonprofit requests, and the department applied for the state's high-visibility enforcement grant to support additional traffic enforcement for pedestrian safety, speed and impaired-driving deterrence.
Councilors asked follow-up questions about use-of-force trends and recent case outcomes; the chief provided clarifications and invited further individual questions from council members after the meeting.