07/26/1989 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e and approved in concept by the Citizen Involvement Committee and the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). Mr. DeForrest said the draft long-range plan is scheduled for completion in October or November. The plan will be presented to the council for approval at that time. After council approval, the public process will be initiated. Mr. DeForrest said the new long-range plan is crucial to the City for several reasons: 1) it will make the Department of Public Safety (DPS), the largest City department, more effective and efficient; 2) it will create a proactive planning emphasis in DPS; 3) it will help DPS develop partnerships with elected officials, the community, and other agencies; 4) it will address the need for a comprehensive prevention strategy identified by the Crime Action Task Force and PSAC; and 5) it will establish public safety service levels that will meet the needs and expectations of the community and DPS. Mr. DeForrest said DPS has been assisted in its attempts to provide a coordinated and more comprehensive plan for the City by two things: the establishment 9f PSAC, and the consolidation and restructuring of DPS. Mr. DeForrest said PSAC establishes a major link between DPS and the community and provides the department with an opportunity to plan with, rather than for, the community. He added that the Department of Public Safety was restructured in 1988, establishing a Support Services Division and a planning section that is devoted to developing a long-range plan and keeping it current. e Mr. DeForrest said the new long-range plan for public safety in the City will be based upon a foundation of broad policies generated through the Community Goals and Policies statement, the Fire and Emergency Medical Plan, and other functional plans that have been adopted by the City. Mr. DeForrest said draft findings generated relating to present public safety services reveal that current services in Eugene are primarily incident-driven with reactive responses. Few resources are presently devoted to prevention or networking in a proactive manner. Mr. DeForrest suggested the possibility of vastly different public scenarios in the future depending upon which conditions preva 11 . These scenarios range from a completely reactive incident-driven response system to a more proactive scenario that not only maintains an emergency response capability, but also places greater emphasis on prevention and community problem-solving. Mr. DeForrest said that the creation of the Community Response Team will provide a useful demonstration of the type of services that can be provided when the department relies on networking with the community as a means of problem solving. Tim Birr, DPS Public Information Director, described the contents of the long-range plan and the time frame for its adoption. He said the major theme of the plan will be the development of both internal and external partnerships for public safety. He said the plan will emphasize the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 P~ge 2 r -