Tiffany Edens went on the stand to convict Richard Gillmore of the sexual assault perpetrated against her as a young woman at 13. she was joined by other victims where unfortunately the statutes had expired beyond prosecuting ability for their assaults.  Gillmore admitted to committing at least 9 rapes in the 70's and 80's where he would stake out the victims by running by their homes only later to brutalize these young women. Unfortunately Gillmore was only convicted on one rape, due to the statute of limitations where he was then sentenced for the rape of 13 year old Tiffany Edens, who was his last know victim. Gillmore was sentenced to 30 years, with a 60 year maximum but the Oregon Parole Board cut that time in half only a year after his conviction. Gillmore is set to be released on December 16th 2022 and has been classified as a sex offender at the lowest risk of reoffending. He will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life due to his rape conviction, but the classification means the state and county aren’t required to notify surrounding residents that he’s living near them. His victims are angered and worried that Gillmore isn’t considered a high-risk sex offender, which would require notification to the community wherever he lives or moves as he was considered a dangerous offender during his trial. 

There is a public outrage to his classification level and the outdated assessment tool utilized to calculate an offenders risk factor upon release. Gillmore was assessed while in prison and the last time in 2016, where he has been away from his chosen demographic of choice, young women in their own homes. Gillmore has been in protective custody for the majority of his sentence where any interaction with the general population has been minimal. Gillmore has not had the ability to compulsively stalk young women at their residences, prey on their vulnerability and cause Irreparable damage physically, emotionally and mentally. At the time of Gillmore's arrest he was in the process of becoming a Gresham Police Officer, which speaks to the intelligence of this man and ability to fool the public into thinking he is a law abiding citizen who can be trusted all the while brutalizing young women under 18 and sometimes under 15. Gillmore has had time to sit, to take classes and to be in a controlled environment during his sentence where he is told what to do and when to do it without the ability to choose. 

In my opinion the static-99 test is outdated and inaccurate if the statute of limitations has expired and a conviction is only brought for one of the 9 sexual assaults committed. This lowers the score of the offender, labeling them low risk when the reality is, if the conviction would have been for all 9 admitted sexual assaults he would be classified differently. If Gillmore would have been charged for the other sexual assaults he would have scored in the moderate-high category, but due to the laws in place at the time of his conviction he was able to evade those charges in turn creating the problem we are in now.

The information here has come from a survivor, Tiffany Edens and given by myself. The news stories that have presented the facts, the classification levels and his release. The research I myself have done regarding the test itself, (static-99), the classification levels in Oregon state at this time and the complete lack of regard the state of Oregon has for the victims turned survivors of Richard Gillmores sexual assaults. 

If given the chance to be heard my hope is that we can create real change for the individuals who perpetrate these acts and protect the victims. My hope is that all the information provided allows for conversations from a citizen stand point on changing the release stipulations for these individuals, not just Gillmore which are outdated to say the least. From a Parole Board standpoint, that there is the possibility for re-examining your protocol and scoring system, To ensure that the victims are heard, spoken for and supported rather than taking a chance on an offender that has been locked away from his compulsions for more than 30 years with no track record of being able to control himself out in the world. 

The Victims voices should be louder than their rapists or we have truly lost sight of protecting our vulnerable people.