Salem Man Arrested For Armed Robbery - 02/04/10
Yesterday, a Salem Police Officer spotted a man wanted for a robbery that occurred on January 25th outside the Westside Station, 610 Edgewater St. NW. Officer Trevor Morrison was responding to a call near 24th and Simpson SE just after 5:00 PM Wednesday when he recognized Byron Woods, 27 years of age of Salem, driving a car. Before Officer Morrison could get into a position to initiate a traffic stop, Woods' vehicle was observed reaching speeds of 45 to 50 mph in the residential neighborhood. Officer Morrison stopped Woods in the 2400 blk of Simpson, where he was taken into custody.

Woods was cited for Reckless Driving and Possession of Methamphetamine. He was lodged at the Polk County Jail on two counts of Robbery I, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Theft I by receiving a firearm. His bail was set at $245,000.

On January 25th, at about 8:00 PM, two men were confronted near the West Side Station by a man displaying a pistol and demanding money. The victims told the robber they didn't have any money, but offered cigarettes to the suspect.

Anyone with additional information on this investigation is asked to call Salem Police Detectives at (503)588-6050.

Salem Police Warn Against Tax Preparer Fraud - 01/29/10
This is the time of year when people are scrambling to prepare their annual State and Federal Income Tax Returns. While there are many commercial businesses and websites that offer tax return preparation, many people choose to have others do their tax returns for them in an effort to save time and money.

Salem Police Detectives would like to warn the public that every year there are reports of tax preparer fraud where people hire acquaintances or other private parties to prepare their tax returns for them. In some cases the suspect has kept the pertinent information and filed returns in subsequent years without the knowledge or authorization of the victim. The suspect then pockets any tax refunds. In other cases, the suspect has misled the victim regarding the amount of any expected tax refund and has kept some of the money belonging to the victim. In still other cases, victims have had their identity stolen by somebody who has prepared their taxes for them.

The Salem Police Department would like to remind people to use only qualified and trusted people to help with tax returns. Find out what qualifications, training and experience the preparer has, ask for references of past clients and contact those clients to see about their experience with the person. If the person cannot provide these in a satisfactory manner, it is a good idea to go to a trusted, established business.

Tax time is stressful enough, and it is best to take these extra steps to avoid any further stress during this season.

Salem Police Release Sketch of Robbery Suspect - 01/26/10
Salem Police Detectives are releasing a sketch of a suspect who robbed Samuel's Jewelers on January 9, 2010.

The incident was reported at about 4:30 pm on January 9th at the Samuel's Jewelers store located at 480 Center St NE in Salem. The suspect was described as Black Male Adult in his 30s, 6'01"-6'04" with a scar on his left cheek and a tattoo on the left side of his neck. He was wearing a blue and white LA baseball cap, a blue denim jacket and blue jeans. He was described as being neat and clean.

The suspect entered the store, physically assaulted an employee then fled with undisclosed jewelry.

Anybody with information in this case is asked to contact Salem Police Detective Mike Quakenbush at 503-588-6050, extension 7152.

CrimeReports.com available for Salem and partner agencies - 01/26/10
Salem, OR, January 26, 2010: Twelve local law enforcement agencies have partnered to offer their communities access to the free crime notification service known as CrimeReports.com. Working with nearly 600 law enforcement agencies across the United States, www.CrimeReports.com is an online communication venue for law enforcement to disseminate neighborhood crime information quickly and efficiently.

Web technology allows participating agencies to transfer their raw crime data to the site where easy to view mapping lets the user get block-level crime data for their area. Simply enter an address of interest, such as your home, office or school, and select "Get Report."

It's not real time, but it is quick time. The site let's you view crimes within 72 hours of their reporting. Citizens can also narrow their search to pinpoint the type of crime you want to know about, such as robberies or theft from vehicles. Law enforcement agencies remove crime details and victim identification as part of the data publishing process, but case numbers are available should a citizen want to request a copy of the report. Additionally, integrated mapping also allows users to see sex offender information for their neighborhood. Community members can also sign up to receive free email crime alerts.

Local law enforcement officials suggest that by making this information available to the public, residents might respond by taking some personal actions to prevent becoming a victim, such as leaving their porch lights on at night and remembering to lock their doors and windows.

Jurisdictions providing this service to their communities include Adair Village, Aumsville, Aurora, Dallas, Gervais, Independence, Keizer, Lincoln City, Monmouth, Salem, Stayton, and Turner. For more information contact your local police agency.

Local contacts: Sgt. Doug Carpenter, Salem Police Department, (503) 932-4559
Sgt. Lance Inman, Keizer Police Department, (503) 856-3475

Salem Police Revives Ten Most Wanted List ***** UPDATED RELEASE****** - 01/14/10
****CORRECTION TO WEB ADDRESS**** http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/Police/CrimePrevention/Documents/Wanted%20Jan%202010.2upd%201-13-10.pdf

Visit the Salem Police Department's Web page at www.cityofsalem.net/police to check out its new and improved "Most Wanted" program.

The page lists ten of Salem's most sought after criminals and provides an opportunity for citizens to assist the department in taking them off Salem streets. Sgt. Doug Carpenter of the Crime Prevention Unit affirmed the importance of the program, "The Most Wanted' page lets the community become an active partner in helping bring accountability to these offenders." Carpenter adds, "We hope that citizens will visit the site and download the poster for reference."

Businesses and apartment complex managers, for example, are also encouraged to use the site. "Representatives at these locations interact with a large number of people on a daily basis, frequently obtaining personal information that they can cross-reference with the site," offered Ofc. Kris Knox. Knox joined the Crime Prevention Unit in the fall and reviving the "Most Wanted" page was one of her first projects.

The people that appear on this list are sought on Salem Police investigations and have active warrants for their arrest. As always, anybody with information on any of these subjects should contact law enforcement immediately and not attempt to apprehend them on their own.

For more information, please contact the Crime Prevention Unit at (503) 588-6175 or at crimeprevention@cityofsalem.net.

Salem Area PIO Forum Set For January 21 - 01/13/10
The next quarterly Salem area PIO meeting is set for Thusday, January 21 at 1:00 pm. We are changing the meeting location this time to the new CCTV location, 575 Trade Street SE, Salem.

This meeting is for all media and will be an excellent opportunity to meet and discuss issues with Public Information Officers from numerous disciplines in our area.

Feel free to bring your lunch if you wish, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Salem Police Detectives Arrest Two For Robbery - 01/11/10
The Dutch Bros. Coffee stand at 3794 Commercial St SE was robbed on December 29th just before 7:00 PM by two White males, one of which displayed what was believed at the time to be a handgun. Based on information from an undisclosed source, detectives obtained a search warrant for one of the suspects.

Brian Duff, 23 years of age, was taken into custody at his residence in the 1800 block of Joplin St. S at about 8:30 this morning, where the search warrant was served.

Jayson Withers, 21 years of age, a Salem transient, was subsequently arrested in the 5600 block of Commercial St SE. Withers had a small amount of heroin in his possession at the time of his arrest.

It was determined that the handgun displayed was actually a toy. Duff and Withers were both arrested for Robbery II and lodged at the Marion County Correctional Facility. Withers was also charged with Unlawful Possession of Heroin.
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