Prineville, Ore. – The Prineville Police Department is currently experiencing technical issues with its body-worn camera (BWC) system, tied to a hardware and software update implemented a month ago, which reportedly prevents the release of any BWC footage.
The discovery emerged during a Prineville Review investigation into a late September “school threat” incident that left some local parents concerned about perceived delays and a lack of communication by Crook County School District officials.
One official with the Prineville Police stated that the issue was preventing them from access any stored video’s from before October 1st of this year.
“There is a fix for it—I know our IT director has communicated that the provider is working on it. There’s a sense of urgency about it,” said City Manager Steve Forrester.
The Prineville Review also contacted the Crook County District Attorney’s Office, inquiring if District Attorney Kari Hathorn had been made aware of the issues and whether they were affecting evidence handling in ongoing cases. Getac, the company responsible for the software, did not respond to requests for comment.
Lt. Thomas Vollmer informed the Review that the issues stem from both a hardware and software update of the “Getac system.” It remains unclear whether Getac is responsible for the hardware issues or if the city’s IT staff oversees that aspect.
As part of the Prineville Review’s investigation into the school district incident, the Prineville Police also failed to provide timely responses required by the Oregon Public Records Law. The Prineville Review submitted a public records request on October 2nd, but it has yet to receive the requested records.
This is not the first time the department has drawn criticism for its handling of public records requests. In a previous case, this reporter’s request prompted intervention from the City’s attorney, who directed the department to release records and consider a fee waiver as required by law due to the public interest and benefit test.
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When the Prineville Review followed up with the Prineville Police regarding the missed deadlines for the October 2nd request, a department representative explained that delays were partly due to ongoing technical issues with the BWC system. However, the Prineville Review noted that this did not account for the department’s failure to provide a timely response or to release many of the requested records unrelated to BWC footage.
The department then claimed it was no longer the “custodian” of the records because the Crook County Juvenile Department had been copied on the case. The Prineville Review responded that, under the law, sending a copy to another body does not relieve the original custodian of responsibility for the records.
“If you still hold the records, you are considered a custodian along with the Juvenile Department,” the Prineville Review clarified. “Multiple bodies can be custodians of the same records. If you are withholding records based on an exemption under ORS 192.355 or other provisions, you are required to cite that exemption.”
Despite this, the department again declined to cite any specific exemptions, responding only, “My apologies, but we also do not release juvenile records.”
According to ORS 192.329, public bodies must assert any applicable exemptions for withheld records and, when relevant, identify the state or federal laws justifying the exemptions. The Prineville Review then had a phone conversation with the department on October 29th, reiterating that exemptions only apply to specific portions of records, not entire files, and that records can often be redacted rather than withheld entirely.
The day after the Prineville Review pressed the department to comply, City Attorney Jered Reid responded:
“Thank you for your public records request dated October 2, 2024. I was forwarded the request yesterday and need to review the records for any exemptions pursuant to ORS 192.345 or ORS 192.355. As you correctly noted, exemptions, if applicable, only apply to parts of the records.”
Reid’s response raised questions about the department’s handling of the request, as his involvement generally should have occurred earlier to facilitate the required responses per ORS 192.324 and ORS 192.329. Notably, Reid was not informed of the request until October 29th—well after the October 23rd deadline for records production (15 business days) and the earlier October 9th deadline for proper acknowledgment (5 business days).
While Prineville Police did acknowledge the request within 5 days, the response did not meet the statutory requirements for the acknowledgement in identifying its current disposition as custodian of the records.
Forrester further addressed the public records issues: “That’s unacceptable. There are timelines that need to be met, and if they weren’t—and I’m aware they weren’t—it needs to be corrected.” He noted he will be looking at increasing public records training for city staff, including the police department.
Interim Police Chief Shane Wilson did not respond to multiple requests for an interview or off-the-record discussions about the department’s repeated public records issues. Wilson’s interim term will end on November 18th when newly appointed Police Chief Jeff Profilo takes over. Profilo was selected from among five candidates interviewed after former Chief Larry Seymour and Captain Rob Gray resigned amid departmental controversy.
Incident prompting reports to the Prineville Review by concerned parents
Earlier today, new information about the late September incident was provided to the Prineville Review when Assistant Superintendent Joel Hoff forwarded a previous statement from Superintendent Melissa Skinner that had been sent to parents. During an October 21st meeting, the district had claimed the situation was announced on Facebook, though no such statement was found on the pages of the district, high school, or middle school.
The statement, which appears to have been sent a few weeks after the Prineville Review received reports from concerned parents in late September, also referenced a separate incident on October 3rd involving students at Steins Pillar Elementary. This confirmation indicates the statement was issued nearly two weeks after the initial late September incident.
“On September 24th, a student at Crook County Middle School reported hearing another student make a concerning statement in class. Administrators and the Prineville Police Department immediately investigated the situation and found that the report was not credible. After interviewing the students involved, law enforcement determined the actual comment was, “I would poke them in the eye,” rather than a violent threat. While we take every report seriously, this incident did not pose any danger to students,” said Dr. Melissa Skinner, the district’s superintendent in the statement.
“We understand how unsettling these situations can be, and we want to assure you that any credible threats will be communicated directly with families. Every incident is taken seriously, and we will continue to work with law enforcement to safeguard our schools,”
Several parents explained their biggest frustration was the lack of communication from school officials when reports to police indicated there was a “school threat”.
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