The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s behavior in numerous ways and some of those changes are reflected in statistics released today by the Hermiston Police Department.
Comparing calls for service from May 2019 to May 2020, the HPD received 47 calls for service regarding domestic violence in May 2019 compared to 14 in May 2020 – a 70 percent reduction.
There has also been a 50-percent drop in calls for service regarding child abuse complaints – eight last May compared to four a month ago.
And while there has been a drop in mental health service calls (eight in 2019 and six this May), there has been a slight increase in calls for service regarding suicide – nine a year ago and 10 this past May.
Burglary reports have jumped this year compared to May 2019 when there were four that month compared to seven in May 2020.
Overall, the HPD received 1,141 total calls for service in May 2019 compared to 852 this past May.
