News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The greatest cause for fear as the Year 2000 approaches, may be fear itself, according to Sheriff Greg Brown.
Brown is concerned that the measures taken by some to protect themselves from potential "Y2K" problems could put them at risk from criminals.
"The other day I was in Sisters and heard about a man who had taken all his money out of the bank," Brown said. "Especially in a small town like Sisters, if you take all your money out, people will hear about it and you'll be a target."
The fear of Y2K stems from a computer programing phenomenon where older computers were not designed to read "00" correctly. They could read "00" as the year 1900, throwing off a variety of computer calculations. There have been widespread concerns that Y2K could cause breakdowns in utility services, food delivery and the banking system.
Regioutilities have reported that they are ready for the turn of the year. Banks, too, are reporting that they are "Y2K compliant."
"We've spent most of last year testing our systems and retesting our systems," said Bank of the Cascades Sisters Branch manager Mark Beardsley. "As far as we're concerned there's not a problem."
Sandy Brink, manager at the Sisters branch of U.S. Bank said people should not take out large sums of cash in preparation for a disaster.
"We even warn people against taking out large amounts of money," she said. "It's not a wise idea."
Sheriff Brown says professional criminals look for opportunities like these to prey upon the unwary.
"Career criminals are specialists in listening to what's going on in a community," Brown said. "If I'm hearing about someone just outside of town with a few thousand dollars stashed in a cookie jar... the criminal community has heard the same thing."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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