Crime in Hermiston was down 19 percent in the first quarter of the year and violent crime fell by 57 percent, according to Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston.
A report issued by the Hermiston Police Department indicates there were 126 criminal incidents reported in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 156 during the same period a year ago. There were three incidents of violent crime, down from 7 in 2013.
Of particular note, auto thefts saw an 88-percent drop in from the first quarter of 2013 when there were 17 reported thefts, compared to just two in the first three months of 2014. That’s the lowest number of reported auto thefts in 10 years, according to the report.
There were 16 reports of burglary in the first quarter of 2014 – the same number as 2013. Larceny reports dropped from 115 a year ago to 103 this year. Incidents of robbery (three) were unchanged from last year, but there were no reports of aggravated assault, compared to two a year ago. The only increase in 2014 was in the category of arson – there was 1 this year, compared to zero last year.
The crime report also indicates a significant drop in incidents compared to the average over the past 10 years. Overall crime is down 38 percent compared to the 10-year average. Property crime also fell 36 percent from a year ago. This year, there were 123 reports of property crime in Hermiston, compared to 149 a year ago.
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