Item C: City Council Goal - Police Initiative

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Community policing in Eugene has struggled due to lack of a coordinated vision and insufficient resources for the level of service desired. At the core of community policing are two elements: (1) establishment of relationships between police officers and the neighborhoods in which they work, and (2) sufficient patrol officer time to engage in jointly prioritized problem-related proactive activities to improve neighborhood quality of life. Eugene is a city relatively low in violent crime but one relatively high in property crime, particularly theft. Because a city’s overall crime rate is heavily weighted toward property crime statistics, a high property crime rate gives Eugene the appearance of being an unsafe place to live. Apart from appearances, the effects of a high rate of property crime are evident and most residents and many visitors experience associated feelings of vulnerability and increased costs to protect, insure and replace property. While the department must play its own important role, a comprehensive interagency community strategy led by the EPD is required to address this issue. The Police Initiative is linked to several community and regional public safety issues. In addition, the material provided in the Magellan Report will require analysis and thoughtful review. As a starting point the following actions emerge as important steps or milestones in the Police Initiative: 1) Review and consider the Magellan Research Corporation’s report: “Comprehensive Staffing Needs Projection, Eugene Police Department Final Report.” To effectively use the Magellan Report and the Model for the Allocation of Patrol Personnel (MAPP) model, its underlying assumptions must be rigorously analyzed and understood. There are a number of policy-related decisions that will be required (see Item 4, following) based on this understanding. 2) Assess the Lane County budget and program issues as they relate to Eugene’s goals for a safe community. With the failure of the County’s proposed income tax measure and still uncertain revenue picture for FY08, assumptions and inputs into the Magellan model must consider these implications for the City of Eugene, the Police Department and the prioritization of public safety services to be provided to the community. 3) Discuss the implications of the staffing models in the Comprehensive Staffing Needs Projection Final Report with University of Oregon officials. A number of issues are raised relative to the university and its contractual relationship with the City of Eugene. Although these conversations have started, there are significant staffing and public safety implications associated with them that must be incorporated into the MAPP model and staffing plan. 4) Using information from action items 1-3 above, as well as prioritization information anticipated from the City’s level and mix of services discussion in advance of the FY09 Budget process, define policy level decisions that must be made as inputs into the MAPP model and bring these decisions back to the Mayor and City Council for action. 5) Utilize policy decisions to create the staffing plan, balancing Eugene’s public safety staffing needs for the next five – seven years with various implementation strategies, consistent with the budgetary capacity of the City and the service level and mix identified in the course of preparing development of the FY09 budget. L:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M070529\S070529C.doc