11/16/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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---~ --~ Mr. Rutan asked about the percentage of cruisers who were causing problems. Mr. Mason said problems such as congestion, noise, and littering were created e by all cruisers. He added that laws probably were violated by less than 50 percent of cruisers. Mr. Rutan said he thought everyone would like to see the situation dealt with, but he asked whether some behaviors were better not legislated against. Mr. Mason said experiences in many other cities had been that passage of the ordinance, along with posting of signs and publicity, had resolved enforcement problems. Responding to Mr. Rutan's question, Mr. Mason said he personally gave the proposed ordinance his unqualified support. He added that the police for years had tried to deal with problems of cruising through the three-phased approach he had described earlier. He said that approach had not worked, and the resources going toward those efforts could be spent elsewhere. Mr. Rutan asked whether the ordinance included a test period. Mr. Mason said that was not included in the draft, but it could be added to the final proposal. Ms. Bascom expressed concern that the ordinance would apply to non-cruisers in the area, and she asked how that was addressed by the proposal. Mr. Mason said the ordinance provided exceptions for: 1) publicly owned vehicles; 2) public transportation; and 3) other vehicles granted exemptions by the chief of PFES for medical or commercial reasons (e.g. pizza delivery vehicles). Councilors asked whether exemptions woul d require applications. Mr. Mason said he thought officers could use discretion. He added that other types of vehicles, such as antique car rallies, could be handled through the City parade permit process. Mr. Mason said residents who lived in the congested areas could use alternate routes as necessary to avoid violations. Ms. Bascom said she thought experience had shown that displacing teen problems e resulted in their reappearance somewhere else. Mr. Mason said the idea of containing and controlling the problem was not resulting in an effective dep 1 oyment of police offi cers, whi 1 e the department was ope rat i ng under limited resources. Mr. Holmer asked whether the ordinance allowed designation of more than one congested thoroughfare. Mr. Mason said he thought one advantage of the ordinance was that it allowed the PFES chief to designate and post problem areas as circumstances changed. Ms. Wooten asked whether police had reviewed the draft ordinance with the Commission on the Rights of Youth. Mr. Mason said he had, but he did not believe their concerns had been allayed. He said the commissioners had agreed that cruising was harmful to the environment and the community, but they had favored establishing alternative social functions for the age group. Responding to Ms. Wooten's question, Mr. Mason said he thought many activities were available to youth. He said he thought it was unfortunate that South Willamette Street had developed a reputation as a destination for youth, many of whom came from outside the city. Mr. Mason said a profile done about three years ago had shown that slightly more than 50 percent of violators were from outside Eugene. Ms. Wooten asked about the process of enforcement by computer tracking of license plates. Mr. Mason said officers would enter the license numbers of as e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Dinner/Work Session November 16, 1987 Page 4