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

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Ms. Nathanson suggested that rather than sit and wait for calls, police in vehicles should drive around the community. While she favored several items on the list of additional possible activities, her bottom line was her belief that community policing was increased police visibility and more familiarity with officers. She did not think the police currently had the needed level of visibility. She said she heard from community members when they saw police officers participating in the community in a positive way. She called for an increased police presence. Mr. Johnson observed that on the average shift there were eight to twelve police vehicles on the street at any given time, and there were 50 square miles to cover in Eugene, making it tough for those eight to twelve police vehicles to be seen. Ms. Nathanson agreed. She believed it supported her belief that to get more visibility, Eugene needed more police officers. She said she would also like to see the Fire Department staff in the neighborhoods making rounds. Ms. Nathanson said that all City employees out in the community could be engaged in identifying potential hazards or nuisances and reporting them to the appropriate department. Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Johnson confirmed that there were more than eight to twelve officers on duty on an eight-hour shift. Ms. Taylor called for more police foot patrols and bicycle patrols. She said that she would like to know the police officer for her neighborhood, and preferred that person would walk or bicycle. Acknowledging she was not sure if the perception was accurate, Ms. Taylor said that there was a community perception too many officers respond to a call for service. She wanted to see less of the Rapid Deployment Unit, and more collaboration between police and other departments to work on the nuisance enforcement issues mentioned by Ms. Nathanson. Mr. Torrey asked Mr. Lee to comment on the goal area related to outreach to communities of color. Mr. Lee said that he had worked extensively with the staff on the progress the City was making, and was satisfied with the progress, and suggested that because of time constraints, the council move onto the next topic. The council agreed. Mr. Meisner suggested that given the issue of retention, which was regularly brought up, the council consider mentoring and support programs for new employees. Mr. Kelly asked for the council to hear about the results of the outreach activities, and what action items or feedback come from those activities. The council discussed the goal area related to the Charter Review Commission. Mr. Meisner clarified that his initial intent was that the commission first focus on compensation. Mr. Pap~ wanted such a commission to examine the City's management structure as well as council compensation. Mr. Kelly suggested that the commission could focus this year on compensation and the following year on structure. Ms. Taylor supported the formation of the proposed charter commission. She wanted to see a review of the entire charter, and suggested the council involve the original members of the committee that drafted the charter. She wanted to know how they thought the charter worked, but she envisioned a more long-term effort. Mr. Johnson noted that if the council wanted a measure on the November 1999 ballot, the commission needed to complete its work by the August meeting recess. Mr. Meisner suggested it was unlikely the council would spend much time reviewing the work of the commission; he believed it was more likely to refer the work of the commission to the voters. Given the available data, he did not think the commission process would take too long. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 26, 1999 Page 8 5:30 p.m.