Hood River Police Department

*****UPDATE***** Fire is CONTAINED at this time.

Power has been shut off from Rand Rd. West to Post Canyon. Power has been de energized in the same area north of Belmont for safety at this time.

Brush fire just east of Stonehedge Gardens. Mt. Adams is closed at Cascade and Country Club Rd. is closed at Frankton. Fire crews are on scene.

We hope all our friends and and families near and far have a wonderful 4th of July celebrating our great nation!

HRPD

To all our friends FYI…….

Hood River-White Salmon Bridge will reopen to limited traffic on Sunday THE GORGE — The Port of Hood River held an emergency meeting on Sunday, June 30 with engineers and port commissioners to discuss reopening the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge. After

Hood River Toll Bridge closed until further notice. Please read below.

We are asking for your help in identifying this suspect and the suspect vehicle that stole a 2022, 12-foot Patriot dump trailer. The suspect vehicle is a green Nissan Frontier with a Washington plate. If you have any information, please contact Officer Miller at 541 386-2121 or email [email protected].

Happy Retirement to our friend and colleague Captain Irusta of the Hood River FD who has served the residents and visitors of Hood River for the last 28 years. What an accomplishment! Captain Irusta was able to serve as our Tac Med for several years. Thank you Captain Irusta for your service.

Happy Father’s Day!!

Father’s Day weekend is extra special this year as we have a father and son working together. If that’s not crazy enough it is also Captain Irusta’s last shift. We would like to thank him for nearly 28 years of service. You’ve earned every moment of this new chapter. Happy Retirement!!

Hood River City
Hood River Fire & EMS
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council

On May 29th, 2024 an Officer with HRPD conducted a stop of a vehicle where the driver was known to have suspended driving privileges and was operating a vehicle without insurance. During the stop the driver exhibited multiple signs of impairment. After performing field sobriety tests the driver was taken into custody. The driver later admitted to the recent usage of Methamphetamine which correlated with the observed signs.

While conducting a search incident to arrest in excess of 1oz of Methamphetamine was seized. This seizure resulted in the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger was on felony probation and was subsequently lodged at NORCOR.

All forms of impaired driving remain a major focus of our department and we will remain vigilant to keep our community safe.

HRPD

...And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and
to final sacrifice.

-RONALD REAGAN

We honor all the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service to our great country! We will always be in debt !

HRPD

There’s still time for your application. If you need more info about our department and great benefits please get a hold of any of our Officers.

HRPD

Hood River Police Department [Hood River, OR] is hiring for the position of Police Officer Entry or Lateral.

This department requires you to complete a department application and NTN Exam.

No deadline for an application or a test score submission

Salary Information: $5,322 - $6,360 Monthly

For more information, please visit

This week is National Police Week all across the Country. As a Department we want to thank all of our residents and visitors who encourage us in keeping Hood River a safe and enjoyable place to live and visit. We believe that in order to have a viable community, public safety is a must.

This week, we also honor the sacrifices of those brave men and women who started their shift and never made it back home to their loved ones. Your commitment and ultimate sacrifice to your community does not go unnoticed.

Thank you with much gratitude,

HRPD

UPDATE! 911 is now back in service.

Urgent: Due to power outage Hood River 911 is down. If you have an emergency please go to your nearest fire station.

Hood River Officers had a great time showing Hood River Cub Scout Troop 282 around the Police Department. Officer Jundt educated the kids what we do, on the gear we use, and answered a variety of questions. It was a great visit, thanks for coming by!

Our position is still open!!!

Hood River Police Department [Hood River, OR] is hiring for the position of Police Officer Entry or Lateral.

This department requires you to complete a department application and NTN Exam.

No deadline for an application or a test score submission

Salary Information: $5,322 - $6,360 Monthly

For more information, please visit

We would like to introduce our new Police Officer Connor Wells. Please help us welcome him to the department.

To all our friends near and far,

We are happy to anounce that we will now be on Instagram. This will be another avenue for us to be transparent with our community in what we do for our residents and visitors. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you.

Thank you

HRPD

www.instagram.com

Good evening friends,

It has come to our attention that our NON EMERGENCY number that rings at our Dispatch Center is not working (541) 386-2121.

***So the remedy is using our friends at the HR County Sheriff’s Office NON EMERGENCY number*** (541) 386-2711

For now, If you call our business line (541) 387-5256 and go through the phone tree, we have enabled it to go through the Sheriff’s Office line at Dispatch

We will try our best to get our number (541) 385-2121 up and going asap!

Thank you

HRPD

Our residents want accountability in our City. It’s our duty as the Hood River Police Dept to conduct a thorough investigation in all of our cases. This is an example on how a routine warrant arrest of a driver lead to a much bigger investigation.

On April 16th, 2024 an Officer with HRPD conducted a stop of a vehicle for excessive speed. During the stop the driver was found to have two Multnomah County arrest warrants. A passenger in the vehicle was found to be in possession of a concealed firearm, Methamphetamine and suspected Fentanyl.

HRPD

Some police agencies have shifted their focus away from retail theft response. However, following discussions with locals and business owners, we understand the importance of accountability in such cases. Rest assured that the Hood River Police Dept. remains committed to supporting its business community by continuing to address these issues.

On April 9th, 2024 an Officer with HRPD arrested an adult female on an outstanding Wasco County arrest warrant, False Info to a Peace Officer and Attempted Theft II. In the same incident an adult male was arrested on a Nationwide warrant and Felon in Possession of a weapon. As the investigation continues there is likely to be other charges filed stemming from thefts from a second local business.

Community involvement and our commitment to being a community oriented Police Dept is what we strive for. Being transparent with our residents is important to us. Here are some pictures of community events that we have been involved in within the last couple of months. We thank our friends near and far for your continued support.

HRPD

Press Release





Date: April 5, 2024
Topic: Hood River PD recognized for DUII Enforcement
From: Neal Holste, Chief of Police
For Release: Immediately

On April 4th, 2024, the Hood River City Police Department (HRPD) was recognized as the 2023 DUII Law Enforcement Agency of the Year at the Oregon Multi-Disciplinary Task Force Conference. Hood River Police Chief Neal Holste and other members of the HRPD were in attendance to receive the prestigious award.

The HRPD was nominated by the Hood River County District Attorney’s Office for this recognition. In their nomination letter, the DA’s Office highlighted the quality of work HRPD officers perform, citing their “diligence, thoroughness, and excellence in their DUII investigations.” The Task Force selects recipients based on certain criteria including quality of work, impact within the community, education, prevention, and deterrence to determine which agencies have met and exceeded standards.

On the same night, HRPD Sergeant Emelike Delancy was recognized as Oregon’s 2023 Drug Recognition Expert of the Year. Out of the almost one million law enforcement officers nationwide, only 1.1% hold the certification as a Drug Recognition Expert. This is Officer Delancy’s second award by the Task Force in the arena of impaired driving; previously, Sergeant Delancy was awarded Oregon’s 2021 DUII Officer of the Year.

The Task Force recognizes the Drug Recognition Expert of the Year by selecting an expert who is active in using and sharing their expertise in detecting, apprehending, and assisting in prosecuting drug-impaired drivers in their community and state. The Drug Recognition Expert of the Year must possess the skills and desire to benefit their community, other law enforcement officials, schools, businesses, and the private industry.

As a department, HRPD is committed to the prevention, deterrence, and educational aspects of impaired driving. The department’s goal is to continue to keep the community informed through social media posts, in-person training, and speaking engagements, as well as having a visible presence through proactive enforcement.

The Hood River Police Dept. would like to highlight and show our appreciation to Oregon State Police Senior K9 Trooper Alexander Zuniga and his K-9 Max who is retiring after over 8 years of service to the citizens and visitors of Oregon.

Trooper Zuniga and Max have played an integral role in not only stemming the flow of illicit drugs through the Columbia River Gorge, but also throughout the entire State. Trooper Zuniga and Max have been involved in the interdiction of more than 1,400 lbs of illicit drugs which include Methamphetamine, Co***ne, He**in and Cannabis. Trooper Zuniga has seized over 530,000 Fentanyl pills, and more than $100,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

Moreover, Trooper Zuniga’s expertise is frequently called upon when certain complex investigations are taking place. Trooper Zuniga has been a trusted source of information, and he eagerly shares his knowledge with other law enforcement personnel .

What really makes Trooper Zuniga a vital asset to our local Gorge community is the outreach he does with his K9 partner Max. Trooper Zuniga can be seen frequently at the Hood River area Elementary Schools drop-off times handing out stickers and other trinkets for the students. The students also get to visit with Max, this is something the students really enjoyed doing. In addition, Trooper Zuniga has done presentations at Westside Elementary, Hood River Middle School and Hood River Valley Highschool.

Trooper Zuniga is what local law enforcement who is invested in the community looks like. Thank You Trooper Zuniga and K-9 Max for reinvesting in our community and keeping our roadways safe.

To K-9 Max, enjoy your retirement!

On March 29th, 2024 an Officer with HRPD contacted a driver who was suspected of impaired driving. During the contact the Officer observed several signs of impairment. After field sobriety tests the adult male suspect was taken into custody for DUII- Control Substance. A search incident to arrest of the suspects vehicle yielded 20+ grams of Co***ne and 22+ grams of a crystal substance the suspect identified as Ketamine. Also seized was a large amount of US currency. The suspect eventually acknowledged possession of the illicit drugs for the purpose of sales.

We remain vigilant and dedicated to keeping these harmful substances out of our community and impaired drivers off the roadway.

HRPD

The closing date has been extended! We are a close-knit Department seeking the next Officer to serve our wonderful community.