Digital fingerprint systems have been in use for a decade or more, but not in Union County, Rasmussen said. “We’re one of the few counties in Oregon left that didn’t have that system,” Rasmussen said. Before the new system went online, jail staff had to take fingerprints the old-fashioned, “ink and roll” way. Fingerprint cards were then sent off to Oregon State Police Identification Services, and the Integrated Automated Fingerprint System maintained by the FBI. Getting a reply took hours, sometimes days. The new system cuts down the wait time dramatically, according UCSO Administrative Assistant Cathie Falck. She recalled one recent case in which a fingerprint match came back in 45 minutes. Falck said the new system is a long-overdue but welcome addition for the Sheriff’s Office. “It’s pretty much the latest and the greatest. It brings us right into the 21st century,” she said. Falck said the system will be used for booking and matching, but not for people applying at the correctional facility’s front counter for concealed weapons permits. Those applicants will have their prints taken the old-fashioned way. The fingerprint unit isn’t the only technology recently added through grant funding, Rasmussen noted. Another, smaller Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant divided between the Sheriff’s Office and the La Grande Police Department will enable the sheriff’s office to buy video microphones for patrol deputies. The technology incorporates a small video camera into a deputy’s handheld radio, Rasmussen said. “The deputy can tape crime scenes, traffic stops and other job-related functions at the touch of a button,” Rasmussen said. In other recent developments, the sheriff’s office completed a partial remodel of the 36-bed jail, adding two isolation cells for inmates with mental health or disciplinary problems. Not counting an isolation cell in the jail’s maximum security unit, there is now a total of four isolation cells. Previously, only two were available. Often, a cell set aside for intoxicated people was pressed into service as an isolation cell. “We renovated an existing jail cell into a true isolation cell, and we also built a new one,” Rasmussen said. “Before, we had problems housing certain kinds of inmates.” Earlier this year, the Union County Board of Commissioners allocated $25,000 from the county contingency fund to help with the remodel and an upgrade of the jail’s surveillance camera system. The balance of the bill came out of the sheriff’s office budget. Rasmussen said the board’s support has been vital to law enforcement efforts. “I think it’s important to recognize what they’ve done,” he said. “It’s really made our job easier.” On a related law enforcement note, the U.S. Office on Violence Against Women recently renewed the county’s Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Assistance Program Grant. The two-year grant renewal brings $348,500 into the Union County Assistance Program, a collaborative effort of the sheriff’s office, Union County District Attorney’s Office, the county Victim’s Assistance Program, Community Corrections and Shelter from The Storm. The original two-year grant provided funding to expand services to victims. With the new grant, the program will maintain the current level of services and expand outreach and education efforts. Rasmussen said Falck deserves much of the credit for the recent surge in grant funding. She wrote the Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Grant, and, as coordinator of the Union County Assistance Program, made sure all the requirements of the Rural Domestic Violence grant were met. She worked with the OSP to bring the digital fingerprint unit to the jail and also assisted with the police department’s Edward Byrne grant. “Her work in the grant writing arena and coordination of grant funding has been crucial,” Rasmussen said. “I greatly appreciate the work she has done for the sheriff’s office on behalf of the citizens of Union County.” - The Observer/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

John Lim

guilty: Flanked by his attorneys Mark Rader, left, and Ken Hadley, a somber Gregory Cook prepares to leave the courtroom following his hearing Thursday in which he pleaded guilty to the murders of Shannon McKillop, Frank Scaramuzzi and Jeremiah Johnston. - The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER

Numerous backroads take autumn motorists through stands of changing tamarack.

Construction of the new OPB tower, right, was completed in late September on Sheep Ridge outside of Lostine. - Photo/OPB

Roy S. Bass was shot and killed near the Bear Creek Trailhead at Boundary Campground. - Photo/KATY NESBITT

An investigation continues into the cause of a fire that consumed a nearly century-old rental house in Elgin. - Photo/TRISH YERGES

Members of High Valley VFW Post 4060 prepare to raise the American flag at a dedication ceremony Saturday for Elgin’s relocated veterans memorial. - The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER