Item C: Downtown Public Safety Zone Ordinance

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Police Commission City of Eugene Memorandum 777 Pearl Street, Room 106 Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682-5852 Date: October 4, 2010 To: Mayor Piercy and City Council From: Members of the Eugene Police Commission Subject: Recommendation on the Downtown Public Safety Zone Ordinance No. 20419 This memorandum provides the Police Commission’s recommendations regarding the continuation of the Downtown Public Safety Zone (DPSZ) Ordinance No. 20419. In the ordinance, City Council specified a process for the commission’s review of the DPSZ effectiveness. This included receiving public input and discussing the DPSZ Activity Report presented by the Eugene Police Department. This link will take the reader to the DPSZ Activity Report on the Police Commission’s web page. The Police Commission received the Downtown Public Safety Zone Ordinance Activity Report from the Police Department on August 18, 2010. On September 1, the commission held a public forum at the Eugene Public Library. Following a short presentation about the findings in the Activity Report, a panel of downtown stakeholders commented on the ordinance and answered questions from the public. Approximately 50 members of the public attended the forum and had the opportunity to provide public comment. The public comment was almost equally divided between those who oppose and those who support the ordinance. (Please see Attachment A for minutes from the public forum.) At their regular meeting on September 9, 2010, the Police Commission discussed input heard at the forum and the Department’s Activity Report. After careful review, the following motion was made: “Recommend to the council continued enforcement of the Downtown Public Safety Zone Ordinance 20419, and the council work with City departments and community members and stakeholders that may or may not include Police Commission and Human Rights Commission members to resolve outstanding issues in the ordinance.” The motion passed 5-4, with members Ahlen, Alsup, Brown and Mueller dissenting. Summary of Public and Commissioner Comments The following summary statements and themes include comments from some members of the public who spoke at the September 1, 2010, forum and some commissioners who support and/or oppose continuation of the exclusion zone. The minutes from the public forum provide additional comments and are provided in Attachment A. Statements supporting and opposing the continuation of the ordinance represent the beliefs expressed by individuals; they have not been corrected for accuracy if they do not correctly describe the DPSZ exclusion process or if they are not factual.