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Hermiston police chief details "livability" enforcement push, staffing strains and new station timeline
Summary
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston told AM 1360 KOHU that a new 'livability' campaign combines enforcement and outreach as the department manages heavy staff turnover, rising transient-related calls (about 25% of workload) and progress on a new police facility expected late January–early February.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the department has launched a proactive "livability" enforcement campaign while juggling substantial personnel turnover and finishing a new police facility. Edmiston told AM 1360 KOHU that insulation is in place and drywall is roughly "40 to 50%" complete, and that contractor McCormick Construction has estimated a mid-January to early-February window for paving and substantial completion — though he expects delays toward the end of January because of holiday schedules.
The campaign, Edmiston said, pairs outreach with enforcement when education proves insufficient. "Sometimes it's necessary to...take an action," he said, and added that the department had issued "well over 2 dozen citations" this month for camping and other livability violations. He cited examples including renewed attention to shopping-cart property issues and enforcement of graffiti rules that may require mandatory citation of parents when a juvenile is identified (Edmiston said a statute controls that process but did not specify which statute).
Edmiston described the department's recent staffing churn as severe: in the previous 10 months he reported roughly 25 personnel changes and said much of the force and some support functions are operating out of four different locations, including the annex, City Hall, the ARC and a new evidence-processing area. He urged investment in first-line supervisors, saying the sergeant's role is where "the rubber meets the road," and described a training program that sends new sergeants to a month-long school in Plano, Texas.
On call volume, Edmiston said he has tracked responses involving people experiencing homelessness since August 2020: those calls represented roughly 20% of the department's load at first, rose to about 30% some years ago, and are "back down to the 25 percentile," which he described as still high. Asked how he will evaluate the initiative, Edmiston said metrics are only one piece of the picture and pledged to return with more specific measures; he also said he plans to provide a written report to the city’s public safety committee in October.
Edmiston also reviewed public-safety work at the county fair since it moved to EOTEC, saying operations there have improved but that parade safety (people entering streets to gather candy) remains a concern. The department worked with the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office and produced an after-action memorandum; Edmiston said conversations may continue about adding fair security.
The interview was a regularly scheduled segment on AM 1360 KOHU’s Odds and Ends program. Edmiston said the department will continue the livability emphasis and return to provide updates and metrics; no formal policy votes or ordinance changes were announced during the interview.
