The city of Hermiston wants to do something about the local criminal justice system’s “revolving door,” in which offenders repeatedly break the law without seemingly any consequences.
At Monday night’s Hermiston City Council meeting, the council members voted unanimously to support a plan that would transfer all Class A misdemeanors from Hermiston Municipal Court over to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution in circuit court. Hermiston City Manager Ed Brookshier and Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the move should hold repeat offenders accountable for their crimes while saving the city money.
Edmiston said the district attorney’s office, with access to the city’s Computer-Aided Dispatch/Records Management System (CAD/RMS), will make the district attorney “positioned to see the total criminal picture of that offender via a proven CAD/RMS system.” The police chief said moving all Class A misdemeanors to the D.A.’s office will provide the office the ability to “consolidate any pending felonious crimes the chronic offender may have.”
Hermiston City Attorney Gary Luisi said he expects the D.A.’s office to see about 16 additional cases per month with the move.
The city currently pays a public defender $300 per case to defend misdemeanor cases in Hermiston. After the transfer of Class A misdemeanor cases, the D.A.’s office will pick up the public defense tab. As a result, Brookshier said the city will save at least $50,000 per year.
Hermiston City Councilor George Anderson said he supports the move.
“We need to get the bad guys off the streets and hold them accountable for their crimes,” he said. “That’s the first order of business. Something just has to be done. They’re laughing at us. So let’s stop the laughing and get these guys.”
Class A misdemeanors include crimes such as assault resulting in bodily harm, driving under the influence, burglary, thefts of property valued over $1,000, unlawful possession of a weapon and violations of restraining orders.
The D.A.’s office will also prosecute Class B and C misdemeanors, but those will continue to be prosecuted in the Hermiston Municipal Court.
After 20 months, the city will determine if the move was effective in holding repeat offenders accountable before deciding to continue it on a permanent basis.
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