Page 8
PUBLIC SArETV
VC'l JD ('_g M MI JNITV
:h r - January 4, 2012
Jan. 2
4:56 a.m. Caller reported
someone threw a rock through the
window at Dutch Bros. and took
money; 604 Main St. Officer took
report for second-degree burglary.
Loss of $200.
7:18 a.m. Caller reported her
ID was stolen either from vehicle or
from bag where it had been placed.
Officer responded, 1300 block of
Sunset. The multicolored wallet
contained ID and Social Security
card but no cash or bank cards.
8:59 a.m. Caller reported
theft, 3041 Main St., Hoy's. Officer
took report for third-degree theft.
Stolen computer speakers were
valued at $9.99.
Jan. 1
12:40 a.m. - Cller heard what
sounded like a cannon going off in
the street, causing her windows to
rattle, 400 block of 10th. Officer
checked area. Unknown what
caused noise.
1:44 a.m. - Caller reported a
male in white lifted pickup truck
hit the side of his car causing a dent
and then leaving westbound, 2405
Main St., Circle K. Report taken.
8:46 a.m. Elizabeth Lynn
Brown, 30, arrested on Lebanon
warrant for failure to comply on
original charge of contempt of
court and cited for driving while
suspended, driving uninsured and
failure to carry proof of insurance.
Tina Jo Winkler, 42, arrested on
Multnomah County warrant for
probation violation on original
charges of delivery of meth and
possession of a controlled substance
and on Oregon warrant for arole
violation, absconding, 10th just
south of Main. Brown cited and
released. Winkler transported to
Linn County Jail.
5:25 p.m. - Caller reported a
minivan in the bark dust, 49th and
Main, in the flower bed in front
of the Wiley Creek Community
sign. Officer responded to a single-
vehicle crash with no injuries.
He did not see any damage to the
property. Vehicle was removed and
on its way. Officer would advise
business of driver's insurance
information.
• 6:09 p.m. Caller reported
hearing cannon-like sounds
coming from the area, 4100 block
of Osage. Officer checked area for
approximately 20 minutes and did
not see or hear anything.
9:17 p.m. - Caller reported
hearing fireworks in the area.
Second caller reported hearing
three gunshots and saw a flashlight
in the field that runs from Long to
Main, 3100 block of Main. Officer
responded, checked area on foot
and did not see or hear anything.
Dec. 31
10:32 a.m. - Eric Daniel
Grimm, 39, arrested for se:ond-
degree burglary, 1605 Fir St. Zited
and released. Caller had reprted
seeing a male carrying boxesfrom
an empty house.
10:52 a.m. - Caller reported
garbage can at Shell gas station
was filled with garbage, 1306 Main
St. Caller located pieces of rrrail in
the garbage sacks. Report taken.
Approximate value of garbage
Information for the Public Safety report in The New Era is drawn.
from local police and fire agencies. It is important to remember that
the fact that we report that someone is arrested or cited for a crime
does not mean they are guilty. Guilt is only determined through the
courts. Addresses listed typically indicate the location of the incident
or of the arrest, but sometimes may indicate the origin of the call.
SHAF TREES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Wishes to thank the following:
Tree Sponsors/Designers
Cascade Timber Consulting- Josh & Brandy Darwood, Amanda Chdsten, & Brenda Smothers
Sweet Home Sanitation - Jami Snyder & Frankie Tagle
The Weld Family - Usa & Scott Weld & Traci Roberts
Timber Harvesting Inc - Wendi Melcher & Audrey Cota
Ridgetree Logging - Butch & Cindy Watkins, Kara Endght & Carol Donnell
Ridgeway Logging- Shauna Mclntyre & Patti Neiman
PEO Chapter FA
The South Santiam Sweet Potato Queens - Roxanne Smith & Rogene Stock
Rice Logging- HeatherSwansan & Heidi Nichol
Sweet Home High School Key Club - Deborah Handman and SHHS students
Tish Tack and Greg Morse
Steelhead Strength & Fitness -Dave & Vickie Bauer & Janie Tuller
Wolthuis Family Dentistry - Ivan & Rebecca Wolthuis, Tammie McCorkhill & Dixie Oxender
Janice Homer & Judy England
Boys & Gids Club of the Greater Santiam
Burke Logging- Aaron & Amy Burke
Others'
Millie Horton & Kitchen Staff
Josh Rice
Sweet Home High School Students
The Point Restaurant
The Skyline Inn
Shad's Restaurant
Betty Watkins
Jennie Thorpe
Kds' Kitchen
Sweet Home Alumni Foundation Board of Directors
Jeremy Powell - Auctioneer
Sweet Home High School Custodians
Rick Bumett & Harv Cadson
Troy Scott & Grason Reynolds
Nick Mclntyre
Katie, Dan and Nate Virtue
Thank yoto all who attended and/or helped to fund scholarships for
Sweet Home graduating seniors!
SHAF "Trees for Scholarships" Committee
Coreen Melcher, Ben Dahleebarg, Steve Hanscam, Alice Bumett, Laud Cadson, Shauna Mclntym,
Sharon Conner, Kim Wilson, Mary Sue Reynolds, Jann Homer, Peggy Emmert, & Deb Cooley.
(For morn information about Sweet Home Alumni Foundation visit oar website at
www.sweethome.k12.or.us/community/alumni.php)
Photo by Scott Swanson
Sweet Home medics and firefighters move Perry Crocker, 52, of Sweet Home to a waiting ambulance. Crocker
sustained minor injuries in a two-vehicle crash just west of Sweet Home on Highway 20 Saturday. Emergency
workers received the call at about 12:15 p.m. Ralph Showalter, 39, of Lebanon was cited for reckless driving.
Crocker had two passengers, Joaneta Crocker and Lacey Crocker. According to the Linn County Sheriff's Office
report on the crash, Showalter, driving a white GMC 3500, and Crocker, driving a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser,
were driving west out of Sweet Home. Showa[ter 's vehicle had been close to Crocker, but Crocker had no room
to yield. Crocker tapped his brake, and Showalter allegedly passed in the center lane and then tapped his brake
in front of Crocker, who was unable to stop his vehicle from colliding with Showalter's vehicle.
service is $156.
12:30 p.m. - Caller reported
finding an armful of mail belonging
to different people lying at the edge
of her lawn, 900 block of Alder.
Officer responded. Unsure if it was
an actual mail theft. There was a
large stack of newspaper with one
piece of mail with a name. The
mail has been seized and returned
to owner.
12:48 p.m. - Caller reported
theft of two iPods from her friend's
unlocked car during the night,
900 block of First. Report taken.
Approximate Value of iPods was
$438.
1:24 p.m. Caller reported
someone went through his vehicle
during the night. Nothing was
taken. Report taken.
• See Safety page 11
Silent Auction Donors
Advanced Family Eye Care
AmVets Auxiliary Post 13
Anita Hutuhins & Daughters
Bert & Jan Wdght
Cedar Shack
Chinook Winds Casino
AI Grove and the SHHS Metal Shop Students
Deb Cooley
Doable D Karaoke
Dr. Richard Schirmer, DDS
Duane Davis
Farmers Insurance ~ Karyn Hartsook
Greg & Debbie Ego
Glenda Melson
Jennie Thorpe
Kathy Horn
Larry & Candy Johnson
Laud Cadson
Marks Ridge Winery
Mona & Bob Waibel
Oregon Jamboree
Pam Dean
Pat Stineff
Risa & Michael DeMasi
Sam Eicher & Janice Homer,
Volbeda Family Farm, EJcher Feedlot
Santam 4-Wheel Drive Association
Sara Windom of Salon W
Sarah Fountain
Shellye Tack
Dustin Nichol and the SHHS Wood Shop Students
Sweet Home Safeway
Stephen Young
Suzan Bechtel
Sweet Home American Legion Auxilliary
Sweet Home Bunch ~ Calligraphers
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel
Sweet Home High School Student Body
Sweet Home Alumni Foandation Board of Directors
Ted & Peggy Hufford
Terry McCallister Trecking
Vicki Cadsan Arnold
Wayne Dahlenburg
Willamette Valley Vineyards
I! Police
From page 1
department already had to reduce
one officer for budgetary reasons in
November. Officer Randy Gill re-
signed then.
The sworn police officers, the
include a police chief, two sergeants
and two detectives.
One detective, Jason Ogden, has
been moved to patrol for now, said
Chief Bob Burford, bringing the total
number of patrol officers to seven.
One of the sergeants will pull a full
patrol shift to help cover the gap.
"We are really going to be strug-
gling, losing three officers all at one
time," Burford said. "On top of al-
ready cutting back, it's going to be a
challenge."
The 10-man patrol roster al-
lowed the department to ensure two
officers on during every shift, Bur-
ford said. Two of them acted primar-
ily as traffic officers. The i-affic of-
ricers could fill in when other patrol
officers were on vacation, at court or
sick, maintaining two-man shifts.
In a perfect world, Burford said,
with no officers out on vacation, sick
leave, court or parental leave, the de-
partment would have two officers on
at all times.
The department already is
working on filling the three vacan-
cies, Burford said. "As soon as we
learned we were likely going to be
having these resignations, we started
a recruitment process."
The department held an assess-
ment center and physical ability test-
ing session• in efirly December, he
said. Officials are working on the
background investigation phase of
the hiring process.
"I would be surprised if we find
three suitable applicants out of this
first process, but we're hopeful,"
Burford said.
New officers are ready to work
solo after roughly nine months fol-
lowing hiring, Burford said. "It's a
long, arduous process. It's costly to
train new officers."
The resignations follow extend-
ed contract negotiations between
the Sweet Home Police Department
Emergency Services Union and the
city, which ended late October with
an agreement to provide a 3-percent
raise for police and dispatch employ-
ees for the 2010-11 fiscal year, no in-
crease in 2011-12 and a 3-percent in-
crease to salaries in 2012-13. - well
below what the union had requested.
The union had sought a 3-per-
cent raise in 2010-11 and 5-percent
raises in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The
union also sought eight hours of
compensatory time each month for
police officers to offset what it be-
lieves are extra hours worked each
month by officers under a 12-hour
shift cycle.
The resignations have allowed
the department to maintain its dis-
patch center at full staffing levels.
The department had planned to
lay off a part-time dispatcher, but for
the time being will keep the position
filled, Burford said. The department
is seeing enough savings from the
resignations to fund the position.
It's too soon to tell when or if
the position will need to be cut, Bur-
ford said. "I believe .we'll be able
to leep dispatch intact through the
remainder of this fiscal year (which
ends June 30)."
Burford will remain in his posi-
tion in 2012. He retired officially at
the end of 2010 and then returned
under special contract, as authorized
by state law for police chiefs, for
2011.
"Craig Martin (city manager)
has asked me to stay a while longer,"
Burford said.
Martin said the chief can pro-
vide assistance in working the streets
and he would like Burford to assist
in looking at long-term stable fund-
ing options.
"Obviously, with the loss of
three officers recently, I certainly
want to retain stable leadership,"
Martin said. "First and foremost is
to retain as many of qualified and
competent people as we can," Martin
said.
Because the city has been facing
revenue shortfalls, prompting budget
cuts, officials are searching for ways
to improve the department's fund-
ing, which currently •comes through
a local option levy, which must be
renewed by voters periodically. This
funding mechanism is more suscepti-
ble to compression, reduced revenue
caused by property tax limitations,
than permanent property tax rates.
With the chief working under
contract, the city no longer needs to
pay retirement benefits, Martin said.
"It's not costing us anymore, and
it's probably showing, depending on
circumstances, slight savings."
