Category Public Safety
UPDATE: Police identify teen boy killed during Wednesday arrest attempt
Police say an underage suspect was killed and a Salem officer was wounded when the suspect exchanged gunfire with police in the 4900 block of Northeast Oak Park Drive Wednesday. (Ardeshir Tabrizian/Salem Reporter) This story was updated Thursday afternoon after Salem police identified the teen…
Salem man alleges officers tear gassed, shot him with rubber bullet at 2020 protest in lawsuit
Protesters head home after a vigil in downtown Salem in late May 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Salem man is suing the city and the Salem Police Department, alleging police officers tear gassed and shot him with a rubber bullet at a protest two years…
Contracted state hospital worker punches patient following racist slurs, hospital reports say
The Oregon State Hospital on May 28, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A contracted worker at Oregon State Hospital last month punched a patient who moments before had hurled racist slurs at the staffer. Eric Banks, the contracted mental health technician, was “removed from our facility…
Plane climbed sharply, nosedived to ground in fatal Salem crash
The small plane that crashed at Salem Municipal Airport on Jan. 29 veered sharply and climbed suddenly before diving to the ground as the pilot was attempting to land, according to a preliminary accident report. The report from the National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t have…
Federal authorities move to seize Silverton, Independence homes to break up sprawling illegal marijuana operation
Federal authorities say they found this large indoor marijuana operation in September 2021 in a home outside of Independence on Rickreall Road. (U.S. Attorney’s Office Portland) Federal authorities say a Texas man organized a sophisticated illegal trafficking operation that turned homes in Oregon into indoor…
Man who died after confrontation with Salem police was homeless, had lifelong mental illness, family says
Rachel Coble saw her brother two weeks before he died in a confrontation with Salem police officers. After living in his car at Northgate Park for a year – and decades of struggling with addiction – Richard Meyers looked well. Meyers told Coble he’d been…
Salem police will have body cameras by summer, publish more crime data and policies
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem Police Department leaders are going to supply officers with body-worn cameras, want to track data on the department’s crime response and crashes, and offer more thorough training dedicated to building trust, use of force and de-escalation. That’s according to the department’s…
UPDATE: Shooting details remain slim as police identify man who died, four officers on leave
Salem police cars scattered across Northgate Park, which was closed off with police tape after the Monday morning shooting. (Ardeshir Tabrizian/Salem Reporter) Salem police and the Oregon State Police issued statements Monday saying a man died from injuries suffered in a confrontation with officers early…
Santiam Canyon wildfire survivors face chronic stress, trauma amid uncertainty about future
Two burned homes on each side of the North Santiam River at Gates show the potential for household and agricultural pollutants to flow into the river, a major source of Salem’s drinking water. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Over a year after the Beachie Creek and Lionshead…