Did You Know...

08-15-05 I would like to once again thank everyone who participated, volunteered, or attended Vernonia's 1st National Night Out. An estimated 450 people (some thought there were as many as 500) were in attendance which is around 20% of the Vernonia population. I have many great comments and we look forward to doing it again next year. Thanks to all of the local businesses that donated cash, prizes, and BBQ items. I was so proud to see everyone coming out to take a stand against crime and violence. Jamboree went pretty well this year with no major incidents to mar the event. Besides the 6 Vernonia officers (4 full time, 2 reserves) around 14 officers from other agencies were on hand over Friday and Saturday to help out. Many of the officers had not worked a Jamboree and commented that they were impressed with the event. Some even said they would either work again or bring their families over to attend. All of them commented that the local citizens were very nice and most all of the incidents involved people from out of town. Again I am proud of Vernonia for another fine event and a showcase for our community. Please remember that we are now in the heart of fire season and everything is extremely dry. Make sure you keep your property maintained to avoid providing anymore fuel for a fire then is already out there. Follow all burning restrictions and discard burning materials like cigarettes in a proper recepticle and never out of a moving vehicle. ORS #476.715 prohibits the discarding of any lighted material on roadway, private road, railroad, forestland, etc. The fine can be up to $500 and the civil liability extremely high if a fire were started causing damage. Remember if you want to see photos from National Night Out, from other events, or you want more information on the department visit <http://vpd.vernonia-or.gov>