Category Public Safety
Review found details lacking in Salem police reports for suicide calls; crisis response program most effective
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) An outside assessment of Salem police’s response to suicide calls from 2015-2019 found some city police reports lacked detail about officers’ actions and the outcomes. In comparison, reports were thorough when written by Marion County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, comprised of an…
California nonprofit brings wildfire recovery experience to Santiam Canyon
Wildfire in 2020 left damage all throughout the Santiam Canyon east of Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Over the next few years, a Northern California-based nonprofit will work to get local officials and organizations connected with grant funds to aid survivors of the 2020 Santiam Canyon…
State appeals court orders reversal of Salem man’s 2004 aggravated murder conviction, death sentence
The Oregon State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered that a Salem man’s 2004 aggravated murder conviction and death sentence be reversed and sent back to the trial court after finding that defense attorneys…
UPDATED: Salem apartment fire displaces 100 residents, one firefighter injured
Fire tears through the Building I at the Orchard Park Apartments in northeast Salem on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Photo courtesy Marion Polk Crime, Traffic and Severe Weather Alerts) UPDATE, 11:20 A.M.: This article was updated with additional details about the firefighter’s condition and housing…
UPDATED: Chaotic night in Keizer, Salem as suspect trades gunfire with officers, runs over pedestrian
UPDATE: Authorities issued a statement Wednesday providing more details about what happened. A police shooting and pursuit from Keizer into Salem Wednesday evening ended in a retailer parking lot in what video shows was a gunfight before a suspect was arrested. Keizer police said the…
Salem man accused of killing Clark County detective
A Salem man was arrested Sunday and accused of shooting and killing a Clark County sheriff’s detective sergeant, the Vancouver Police Department announced Sunday afternoon. Guillermo O. Raya was arrested by the Salem Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service but details about the arrest…
Salem police arrest two men during clash in front of Planned Parenthood
A screengrab from Joe Smothers Facebook Live. Update 7:32 p.m.: Salem police said they initially named the wrong person who arrested in their release. Salem Reporter has updated the article to reflect that. Original post below: Salem police arrested two men during a Tuesday evening…
Police shoot, kill man at domestic call; two die at Salem cantina shooting early Saturday
A shooting at a bar and a domestic call overnight Friday left three people dead, including one shot by police, the Salem Police Department reported early Saturday morning. Few details were released about either incident, including any information about those who died. In a press…
Fatal shooting detailed: ‘Unmistakable sound of a shotgun being racked’
Natzeryt “Nat” Viertel stepped out of the shed at his south Salem home, aimed a shotgun at an approaching Salem firefighter and pulled the trigger. There was only a click. Salem firefighter Kyle Holestine retreated back out the driveway to the street – Southeast Ewald…