Item 4: Ordinance on Downtown Public Safety Zone

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Before After Age Group Difference % Change Aug 2005 - Sep 2008 Oct 2008 - Nov 2011 Juveniles 725 639 -86 -11.9% Adults < 24 yrs Old 1,908 2,115 207 10.8% Adults > 24 yrs Old 2,623 2,878 255 9.7% Total 5,256 5,632 376 7.2% Qualitative Data Looking at data from the 2008 and 2010 Community Survey, the public perception of downtown is improving. The percentage of people indicating they are “somewhat or very satisfied in Downtown Eugene the way it is”, has increased from 33 to 37 percent. More striking is the percentage of people who are somewhat or very dissatisfied, which has dropped from 64 to 54 percent. There has been a statistically significant reduction in the dissatisfaction in the perception of Downtown Eugene. It is a reasonable conclusion that the law enforcement elements of the City’s larger 12-Point Downtown Plan, including enhanced police presence and the Downtown Public Safety Zone, as well as the numerous construction projects currently underway have contributed to the improved perception of Eugene’s downtown by survey respondents. Summary As long as there is inadequate jail bed capacity to meet the demand, the Downtown Public Safety Zone functions as a necessary stop-gap measure, to hold offenders accountable, and reduce the number of re- offenders in the downtown core. To address public safety, our community must have at minimum three equally important functions. First, there must be appropriate rules and laws to govern behavior. Second, there must be an enforcement emphasis to cite offenders. Last, there must be adequate consequences to hold offenders accountable for their actions. Other services to support individuals in crisis such as CAHOOTS, youth services, and perhaps what is produced by the Mayor’s recently formed task group on homelessness will also be critical to improving safety downtown. Eugene has adequate laws governing behavior, and increased funding for the downtown bicycle team has strengthened the Police Department’s ability to provide enforcement and other services in the city’s downtown core. However, with Lane County’s critical jail bed capacity issues (down this last July from 280 to 196 beds and likely to decrease further in FY13), the Eugene community lacks adequate consequences to hold offenders accountable and to reduce recidivism. Page 8 of 16