Police Cadet, Officer Injured In 2-Car Crash Sunday

HILLSBORO, OR — A two-car crash involving a Hillsboro police cruiser and civilian vehicle sent three people to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Sunday afternoon. Nobody involved in the crash has been identified at this time, though Hillsboro police said an officer and cadet were among the injured.

The crash reportedly occurred at the intersection of Northeast Evergreen Parkway and Northwest 185th Avenue, in the Tanasbourne area, just after 3:15 p.m. Oct. 21.

The Hillsboro officer was reportedly conducting an educational ride-along for a male cadet when the pair received an emergency call from dispatch. Traveling west on Northeast Evergreen, the officer fired up his cruiser's emergency lights and sirens as he headed in the direction of the call.

As the officer and cadet passed through the intersection at Northwest 185th, the police cruiser was T-boned on the passenger side by a southbound Dodge Ram truck, officials said. Both vehicles reportedly ended up in the westbound lanes on Northeast Evergreen Parkway.

The cadet required emergency extrication from the cruiser with help from the Hillsboro Fire Department and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. All three men involved were taken to hospital.

The officer was released later on Sunday while the cadet remained in hospital overnight. HPD Lt. Henry Reimann said the cadet is expected to go home on Monday.

The status of the civilian driver is unknown at this time. Whether the driver will be cited for anything is also unknown. The Washington County Sheriff's Office is reportedly investigating the incident.

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In his 11-year career with HPD, Hillsboro police spokesman Sgt. Eric Bunday said he's never heard of an on-duty cadet injury — which is pretty impressive considering some have been known to volunteer up to 100 hours per month, though the requirement is only 16 hours per month.

Aged between 15 and 20 years old, HPD cadets are typically treated like other HPD employees, Bunday told Patch Monday morning. They're considered part of the "HPD family and team" and are expected to do a lot of work despite how limited they actually are in what work they're legally allowed to perform, he said.

One of those expectations are ride-alongs to see police work in action, though cadets are normally protected from dangerous situations, like shoot outs or suspect pursuits. A car crash, however, is not a situation for which a training officer or cadet could be prepared any better than anyone else driving down the road at any given time.

Outfitted with HPD cadet uniforms, ballistic vests, and an assortment of tools, the cadets are given an immersed perspective on the life of officers and other law enforcement staff to help them plan for their own future careers. Of those who decide to stay in law enforcement, even more move on to other fields of interest, Bunday said.

Hillsboro's cadet program, however, seems to produce a higher percentage overall who stay in law enforcement, with numerous former HPD cadets now officers or staff at departments in Beaverton and St. Helens as well as Hillsboro and the Washington County, Clackamas County and Columbia County sheriff's offices.

Image via Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue