Police blotter, criminal convictions ..... A9
Yurok judge joins Clinton documentary ........... A11
SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879 www.triplicate.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
Crescent City, CA
Council agrees to purchase new guns for police Also move to have full staff on streets 24 hours a day
tenant’s position will give him more work in administration, but he said it is better for the community. “For the public, it’s better if we have another officer on the street,” Griffin said. “I will manage the office for a while. I don’t mind doing that. In going back to a sergeant, it covers all that stuff. We don’t need to be admin heavy, we need to be patrol heavy.” The move will also save the city around $14,000, most of which is set to be used to buy new handguns for the entire department. Griffin said he was at a recent meeting where he asked about supplies for the department’s current Glock Generation 4 .40 caliber guns. He was told upgrading to the Generation 5 gun, a 9mm, would be a better move.
BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
The city council of Crescent City voted unanimously to add more than $2,000 to the Measure S funding for the city’s police department to meet the needed staffing and purchase new duty weapons for all officers. City Manager Eric Weir told the council the change was approved by the Measure S Oversight Committee at the request of Police Chief Richard Griffin. In the staffing level, the department will eliminate a lieutenant’s position to add a fourth sergeant’s position. The change would give the city 24-hour coverage with a sergeant and two patrol officers. Two officers are in the academy right now and should be joining to the department in the coming months. Griffin said removing the lieu-
Please see POLICE, Page A2
File photo
Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin got council approval to make changes to his department, including the purchase of new handguns that are designed to be safer and easier to use.
Having an impact on a bigger stage Police looking to buy drone BY RAY HAMILL For the Triplicate
The Del Norte Warriors are playing a big role in helping to re-establish College of the Redwoods football this fall, with several of their players playing a pivotal role early in the season. The Corsairs are off to an 0-2 start, but they have been competitive in both games and some former Warriors are helping to set the tone on both sides of the ball. At running back, Levi Cox-Cooley is quickly finding his feet at the collegiate level and has emerged as one of the team’s chief offensive threats, while tight end Kaleb Price has found the end zone in both games. Two other Del Norte players have been equally effective on the defensive side of the ball and have been influential in the defense’s impressive start to the new season. Tackle Sam Schauerman has been a force in the trenches, while linebacker Tanner Forkner is quickly emerging as one of the team leaders. Overall, head coach Jason White has been more than happy with the Del Norte contingent’s
Please see IMPACT, Page A2
BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
Photos by Ray Hamill/For The Triplicate
Linebacker Tanner Forkner (44) brings down a ball carrier during his first season at College of the Redwoods. Forkner and three other Del Norte High School graduates are already making a difference while playing in college.
Jet boats offer unique tour experience further upriver into the Rogue River Canyon, which boasts some of the most majestic wilderness in Southern Oregon. Darin Stichter is one of the jet boat captains. The driver says hello to guests as they find their seat. The further toward the front they sit – the more likely to get wet on this trip. On this sunny day it’s a requisite. “Today is my first day,” Stichter says before pulling out the massive tour vessel from the dock. Guests giggle nervously. He’s joking, right?! It doesn’t take long to realize the driver is a skilled boat captain – as well as history buff, a wildlife expert and a thrill seeker. He is also sarcastic. Eventually Stichter will let his guests know it’s not his first day on the job. He has actually been a jet boat driver at Jerry’s Rogue Jets for 32 years and is the longest consecutive jet boat driver at
BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Triplicate
Pulling up into the Port of Gold Beach Harbor on the morning of Friday, Sept. 9, a long line of people wait outside Jerry’s Rogue Jets clinging to tickets. The air is buzzing with excitement. Guests checking in to Jerry’s Rogue Jets are greeted by siblings Scott and Nic McNair and Stephanie Stout. Together, they run the family-owned business. A member of the friendly group goes over a few details of the tour – whether the historic mail route, express whitewater, wilderness whitewater or 2-hour Bay Cruise – before handing out a color-coded ticket. Those lucky enough to have a red ticket on this day are on one of two boats heading out on the Wilderness Whitewater tour. Over the course of the day, they will make a 104-mile round trip up to Agness, then embark on a wild and scenic whitewater tour
Please see TOUR, Page A10
INDEX Crossword Puzzle
Phone Number: 707-460-6727 A2
Obituaries Crossword Answers
Weather & Tides
A5 A7 A13
Please see DRONE, Page A3
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Photo by Breeana Laughlin/The Triplicate
Jerry’s Rogue Jets, a Gold Beach-based tour company transports an annual average of 35,000 passengers from May to October.
The Crescent City Council unanimously supported a proposal to purchase a military-style drone for use by the city’s police department. The vote will open a public notice time period, after which the issue will come back before the council for final approval. Police Chief Richard Griffin brought the issue to the council, telling council members the city received a grant to purchase a drone. Once it is received, the drone will primarily be used to respond to emergencies at the Crescent City jetty. Griffin explained that occasionally emergencies require law enforcement to respond to the jetty, often in life-saving situations. Griffin said the city’s police are not trained in search and rescue, so that element moves to the sheriff’s office. But the city police often can arrive first, find victims and help the search and rescue effort. “We had an officer washed off the jetty before, and he had to be helicoptered out,” Griffin said. “So my policy is we do not go out onto the jetty. We are not trained for search and rescue.” Griffin said if the department has a drone, it could be flown over the area to locate any lost or injured people, and that information could be shared with responding search and rescue teams. He said a drone could also be used, when, not if, a tsunami strikes. An officer could fly the drone from a safe area inland and look for lost or stranded people or check
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