The city of Hermiston will began a 20-month experiment on May 1 in which it will turn all Class A misdemeanors over to the Umatilla County Circuit Court rather than the Hermiston Municipal Court.
The city hopes the move will cut down on the “revolving door” in which offenders are released from jail only to re-offend. The change is also expected to save the city money.
“Our costs have continued to rise at a steep rate for prosecution and particularly for public defense,” wrote Hermiston City Manager Ed Brookshier in a memo to the mayor and city council. “And . . . we still see no improvement in holding repeat offenders accountable for their crimes.”
Brookshier said he and Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston and City Attorney Gary Luisi see “no downside” to transferring Class A misdemeanors to circuit court. 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.
In addressing concerns that such a move would bog down circuit court, Luisi estimated that the move would mean an additional 16 cases per month on average would be handled in circuit court, based on the number of cases processed between November 2013 and March 2014.
At the end of December 2015, the city council will review the previous 20 months to determine if the move had a positive effect. The topic will be discussed at Monday’s Hermiston City Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hermiston City Hall.
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