CC Minutes - 07/14/10 Work Session

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Chief Kerns confirmed Mayor Piercy's assertion that Eugene had a relatively low violent crime rate which was part of the Oregon culture. When jail beds were reduced from 300 to 120 in 2008, there was an immediate rise in both property and violent crimes, including robbery and assaults, with a high concentration in the downtown area. He opined crime would immediately rise again and would be difficult to manage if additional beds were eliminated. It would require money as well as consideration of alternative ways, to house people the EPD should not have to work with. People suffering from alcohol and drug addiction were moving into the criminal justice system and using resources that should be used for people who genuinely had the potential to harm the community. Wet housing and Eugene's Mental Health Court provided alternatives to incarceration that could be expanded. Mr. Clark asked if the City of Eugene could hold Lane County accountable for its State responsibilities to provide jail beds. Chief Kerns opined several factors contributed to the reduction in crime rates, and the EPD was not entirely responsible. He noted EPD officers made twice as many arrests as the national average, stretching the department's resources. Ms. Taylor asked if the Ridgeline Trail parking areas were targeted areas for DLP. She asked if EPD had seen signs that the criminals were aware that EPD was targeting areas. Chief Kerns said although crime did occur in the Ridgeline Trail parking areas, it was not in the concentration seen in other areas. He said the department rarely patrolled the area and suggested CCTV cameras could be used for monitoring the area. He stated the department had not yet seen signs of criminal awareness of targeting areas, but EPD had learned some things. He said not all residential burglaries occurred during the day when people were at work. Many offenders committed crimes in the neighborhoods in which they lived. If the offenders moved to other neighborhoods, the data over time would reveal the offenders had relocated. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Chief Kerns said use of illegal fireworks was not on the list of behavior crimes, but it did include alcohol violations, fights, carrying concealed weapons, menacing, and some family offences. Ms. Taylor asked if people who accumulated parking tickets and were unable to post bail occupied jail beds. She asked if possessing marijuana would result in incarceration. Chief Kerns was not aware of parking violators being jailed. He explained Lane County housed several different types of offenders. The federal government leased beds for inmates awaiting trial.. The County housed all State crime offenders including those arrested by EPD, which ranged from very violent offenders to those who committed property crimes, and while not a danger to individuals, were a threat to vehicles. He noted it was not likely people just in the possession of marijuana would be jailed, but those who manufactured and sold marijuana were lodged in the jail, Ms. Taylor did not think someone who privately used drugs was dangerous while people who broke into homes were dangerous. Ms. Ortiz thanked Chief Kerns for his presentation and said she appreciated all of the information he provided. She said eshare, which allowed detectives to share information with patrol officers, was an interesting concept. She was concerned about how people were listed on eshare and requested an explanation of the process. MINUTES— Eugene City Council July 14, 2010 Page 2 Work Session