Drug cops’ conduct scrutinized

Conduct of two La Grande police officers formerly assigned to the Union-Wallowa County Drug Task Force is being reviewed by the local district attorney’s office and the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Officer Gary Welberg is on administrative leave following a recent DPSST administrative investigation. His case has been turned over to Union County District Attorney Tim Thompson, who will determine whether any criminal charges should be filed.

The other officer, Thomas Blackman, quit the force last month, citing personal reasons.

Jeanine Hohn, a public information officer for the DPSST, said her agency is looking into a complaint filed against Blackman, though she did not give details.

She said the former officer faces possible action against his DPSST certification.

“We are reviewing the information to see if reason exists for de-certification,” Hohn said.

On April 28, Theresa King, DPSST’s professional standards coordinator, sent Thompson a letter about the Welberg investigation.

King said the purpose of the investigation was to determine whether Welberg had “done anything to violate established moral fitness standards for Oregon public safety officers.”

She said interviews were conducted with La Grande police officers, Union County Sheriff’s deputies and local citizens. Though she did not go into detail, King said there was some indication crimes may have been committed.

“DPSST obtained information about conduct that could potentially constitute the commission of one or more crimes,” her letter states.

The DPSST oversees training, certification and standards for all public safety workers in the state.

As a matter of policy, the agency refers potential criminal matters involving those workers to the jurisdiction where the conduct is alleged to have occurred.

King said DPSST will transfer all records of the Welberg investigation to the district attorney. Thompson said this week his own investigation will begin when the files arrive.

“We’ll conduct an investigation and determine if there’s anything criminal going on,” he said. He could not predict how long that would take.

Thompson added that if criminal charges are filed, they will be dealt with before the matter is referred back to DPSST. The certifying agency would then decide whether administrative action is warranted.

La Grande Police Chief John Courtney said this week he could not comment on the Welberg and Blackman cases. He did say local drug investigation and enforcement efforts continue.

Until last year, the Union-Wallowa County Drug Task Force, also known as the Multi-Agency Enforcement Response and Interdiction Team, was staffed by officers from the La Grande Police Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police and the Enterprise Police Department.

Last September, the Sheriff’s Office pulled its drug detective from the task force, citing a disagreement over staffing but refusing to give details. The OSP pulled out because of a lack of funding and manpower.

The Sheriff’s Office said at the time it would work cooperatively on drug cases with the OSP, and assist MERIT as needed.

With Welberg and Blackman gone, Courtney said one La Grande officer has been assigned to the drug task force full-time, assisted part-time by another officer.

The chief also said he hopes to get some help from the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

“Right now we’re trying to work with the sheriff to get a deputy to re-create the task force,” he said.