09/26/1990 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e been recognized. He pointed out, however, that there is an optimal level of van usage; 100 percent use is not a good target. He explained that if the van was operating continuously, it would not be able to respond to urgent calls as needed. Lieutenant Hill spoke about the poor condition of the radio system in the van and said that the inability to communicate over the radio may have been an- other factor contributing to the low usage rate. He noted that a new van with an improved radio system has been ordered and is expected soon. Concerned with the low usage rate, Mr. Boles asked whether there is a docu- ment within the Public Safety Department that identifies some of the possible types of uses for the CAHOOTS van. Mr. Hill responded that there is such a document. Mr. Gleason said that it is not clear yet why van use has been so low, but asked the council to be sensitive to the tremendous amount of time which is required to effectively integrate a program of this size into DPS. He as- sured the council that the department is making headway on increasing van use. Mr. Boles expressed concern with the amount of time the CRT has been operat- ing with a poor radio system. He added that if the department desires effec- tive CRT integration, it should take any necessary measures which are re- qUired to make it easier. e Mr. Boles expressed his disappointment with the documentation that the coun- cil received for the CRT evaluation. In particular, he felt that the evalua- tion did not contain the type of information necessary to measure CRT program success for offender diversion from the court system. Mr. Hill responded that the type of statistical information in question is hard to obtain be- cause it would be difficult to determine which individuals would have been sent to jail if they had not otherwise been redirected to the sobering sta- tion. Hillary Larsen, Buckley House, said that part of the success of the integrat- ed CAHOOTS van/Buckley House program can be demonstrated by the substantial increase in the number of individuals brought to the sobering station by the CAHOOTS van rather than by a police officer. She also noted that the in- creased demand for enrollment into the detoxification program is demonstra- tive of the success of these programs. Richard Greene, PSAC Chair, provided the council with an update of the CRT Long-Range Plan. On behalf of Eugene citizens, he thanked the council for recognizing the importance of a community-based policing program and identi- fying the resources necessary for program initiation. Mr. Greene indicated that PSAC would be providing the council with a report this fall on future program implementation strategies and projected needs for budget increases. PSAC is projecting that an additional 6-8 percent increase over baseline funding will be needed to continue its programs this fall. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 26, 1990 Page 5