CC Minutes - 05/26/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mr. Meisner questioned how the PSCC could separate the enforcement and prevention elements of public safety. He was also concerned that the survey did not address the subject of serial tax levy requests. Mr. Rayor left the meeting. Mr. Torrey asked the council to discuss what it wished to see in terms of the City's community policing program. Mr. Kelly noted the inclusion of a list of current community policing efforts on page 166 of the meeting packet, followed immediately by a statement that indicated each of the items would constitute a drawdown on existing resources. Captain Thad Buchanan, Eugene Police Department, responded that the intent was to convey that continuing the activities drew away from the operational portion of the organization, or what could be considered traditional policing. He said that "drawdown" was probably not the most accurate descriptive term. Mr. Kelly suggested that the language implied that the issue of priorities and a community policing focus was not settled for the department. He was troubled by the implication that the community policing tasks took away time from the department's "real job," as opposed to being part of the department's "real job." Captain Buchanan said that the work load was a "juggling act." The traditional demands for responses to calls for service and other ongoing, daily activities were balanced against the activities involved in the implementation of community policing. He added that the implementation had caused actual changes in the day-to-day duties of supervisors and managers. He said that for example, lieutenants in the watch command had traditionally focused on activities on the streets during an eight-hour shift; now in addition to those duties, they had 24- hour responsibility for a geographical area of the city and must operate new programs that benefitted the sector. Mr. Johnson added that key to the issue was that the City wanted to do more, and wanted direction from the council. Mr. Kelly acknowledged that the implementation of community policing would take increased funding, and he would not be supportive of a PSCC measure that did not include revenue sharing. He asked Captain Buchanan to consider what adjustments could be made operationally within existing resources. For example, a reevaluation of the Rapid Deployment Unit could be done. He liked the examples of other activities that could occur, suggesting that they largely reflected a "cops on the beat" approach and better connected the police to the community on bicycles and on foot. He did not think the sector approach had the chance to get off the ground because the area coordinators and beat officers had changed so frequently, eliminating the familiarity and continuity needed by neighborhoods. Mr. Kelly said that aside from the list of activities, the general tone of police and community interaction is important. He said that he frequently heard complaints about police-citizen interactions and believed it indicated some issues with the general tenor of communications. Mr. Fart did not think the level of community policing provided now was adequate. He said that like other services, the police had to get the appropriate service to the place needed at the time needed. The City could ensure that occurred by putting the right kinds of officers on the beat. He said that the location of various public safety stations throughout the community would also assist in the implementation of community policing. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 26, 1999 Page 7 5:30 p.m.