According to year-end statistics, total crime in Hermiston during 2013 was up 3 percent from a year ago, but down 6 percent from the 10-year average.
And while overall crime may have crept up in 2013, violent crime was down by 36 percent from 2012 and 61 percent from its 10-year average. There were 16 incidents of violent crime last year, down from 25 in 2012 and the 10-year average of 41 incidents.
Also experiencing a significant drop was the number of burglaries in Hermiston.
“We experienced a 23-percent drop in burglaries last year, which is something we have focused on over the last two-plus years,” Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said. “This makes the lowest burglary rate we experienced in 10 years.”
There were 95 reported burglaries in 2013, down from 124 the prior year and the 10-year average of 139.
Both larceny and auto thefts rose in 2013. There were 617 reports of larceny and 72 reported auto thefts, up from 610 and 62, respectively, in 2012.
“I have personally gone through the stats on auto theft and we know 55 percent of the time the keys are left in the vehicle and 66 percent of the time the vehicle is left unlocked,” Edmiston said. “These are crimes the public could help us with.”
Total calls for service in 2013 were at a 10-year high. There were 16,362 calls for service during the past year, up 9 percent from a year ago.
“This can be a good thing as I believe it shows the public has confidence in the police department, but can also be a bit detrimental as some of the types of calls we get are not police-related,” the police chief said.
Total arrests are down 3 percent from its 10-year average, but up 3 percent from 2012. There were 1,362 arrests last year compared to 1,328 in 2012. The higher arrest totals are a trend Edmiston would like to continue to see.
“The re-focus of the majority of our officers to spend more time on investigations should mean more arrests, so this is an area I am pleased with,” Edmiston said.
