Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Problems identified to date included lack of accountability/consequences, illegal and unpleasant behavior, lack of a cohesive/coordinated plan and aspects of the physical space and environment. He said the task team would develop strategies for solving those problems and present them to the Executive Team, which would then consider them in developing the FY 2011 budget and long-range planning. Chief Kerns said the task team heard a presentation about a Portland model in which a security firm established by former police officers worked collaboratively with the Portland Police Bureau, social services and the business community to successfully deal with crime in the downtown area. He said the security firm employed retired police officers who worked as armed security officers. Task team members would travel to Portland to see the program in operation. He used a slide presentation to demonstrate the Eugene Police Department’s (EPD) use of data-led policing to identify hotspots for behavior crimes and focus enforcement efforts. Chief Kerns said the task team was working on a range of solutions, some of which could be implemented immediately and some of which were long-range, and exploring models like Portland’s for way to improve minor violation enforcement. He said some of the solutions might require additional policy tools. Ms. Piercy said community residents were very concerned about property crime and would be relieved to have strategies to address the problem. Mr. Clark thanked Ms. Muir, Chief Kerns and task team members for their efforts. He distributed a document entitled Downtown Public Safety Info and Worksheet, which he hoped would focus discussions on specific problem behaviors and situations and whether council action would be required to implement solutions. Chief Kerns replied that he was interested in the council’s discussion of policy tools such as granting authority to private security firms to assist law enforcement and banning the sale of fortified beer and wine. Mr. Brown felt the use of technology to identify hotspots had great potential. He asked if it could be applied to the entire City and the types of crimes that were committed. Chief Kerns said it required significant restructuring within the department to obtain and map current and accurate data that was actionable; therefore efforts were being focused on reducing property crime and crime in the downtown core. Mr. Brown asked if the private security officers in Portland received pay comparable to police officers. Chief Kerns said he assumed the pay scale was lower for the private security officers, who were “certified, armed security officers,” a classification within Oregon Revised Statutes. Ms. Ortiz was supportive of considering an ordinance with would authorize a program similar to the Portland model. She asked if the exclusionary zone was a useful enforcement tool. Chief Kerns said the zone was effective to the extent it had been used, but enforcement efforts could be more assertive. Mr. Poling commented that the problem of downtown safety was not new and thanked Mr. Clark for bringing it forward. He looked forward to recommendations from the task team and was interested in more information about the use of private security officers to augment law enforcement. He thanked business owners in the downtown area who had persevered despite the problems they faced. He said there was a perception throughout the community that public safety was a serious concern downtown. Mr. Zelenka thanked task team members. He was interested in seeing a map of hotspots throughout the City. He asked if there was an analysis of the impact of the exclusionary zone and more officers on the MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 23, 2009 Page 3 Work Session