While citations and arrests are up in Hermiston during the second quarter of 2015, incidents of robbery and burglary are down significantly from a year ago, according to a report issued by the Hermiston Police Department.
The report shows that citations were up 21 percent and arrests were up 15 percent in the second quarter. However, the statistics also show a 71-percent drop in robbery from a year ago, and a 60-percent decline from the 10-year average.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said his department has been focusing on burglaries for the past three-plus years and the results appear to be paying off with a 31-percent decline in reported burglaries in the second quarter of this year and a 52-percent drop from the 10-year average.
Auto thefts, however, are up significantly from the same time in 2014 when there were 10 reported thefts, compared to 28 this year.
Edmiston called the numbers “ugly.”
I did a quick analysis of each case we took and found . . . 62 percent of the time the vehicles were unlocked and 57 percent of the time the keys were readily accessible.,” he said. “I’m not sure how much more education we can do to explain stolen vehicles are truly crimes of opportunity.”
