HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/23/1989 Meeting
e M I NUT E S
Eugene City Council
Eugene Hilton--Studios B/C
October 23, 1989
5:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Rob Bennett, Shawn Boles, Emily Schue,
Debra Ehrman, Freeman Holmer, Bobby Green, Roger
Rutan.
The adjourned meeting of October 18, 1989, of the Eugene City Council was
called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller.
1. COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM EVALUATION
When approving funding for the Community Response Team (CRT) pilot program,
the council requested an evaluation of the program to assist in deciding
whether to continue the program beyond the four-month trial period. The City
contracted for the services of a consultant, Dan Kaplan, who worked with
e participating agencies and members of council to design and conduct an
evaluation. Dan Kaplan was present to share the results of his evaluation,
Mr. Gleason introduced members of the Community Response Team who were
present at this meeting. They included: Al Levine, Lane County Mental
Health; Jim Forbes, Linda DeSpain, Looking Glass; Bob Oritz, White Bird
Clinic; Hillary Larson, Buckley House; Deputy Chief John Rutledge, Captain
Dick Loveall, Lieutenant Jim Hill, Eugene Department of Public Safety.
Mr. Kaplan presented the results of the CRT evaluation, outlining information
contained in the Executive Summary that was distributed to all council
members.
Referring to a statement made in Mr. Kaplan's presentation, Ms, Ehrman asked
whether the White Bird Clinic's CAHOOTS van experimented with patrolling on
alternate days and alternate hours. Mr. Kaplan responded that although it
was planned to experiment with days other than Tuesday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-12
a.m., it was never undertaken.
Making reference to the juvenile services component of the CRT program, Ms,
Ehrman asked whether there was a significant connection between the youth
referred to Looking Glass Job Center and those cited for problematic or
intoxicated behavior. Mr, Kaplan responded that the prime focus of the CRT
with regard to juveniles was to create a new referral system for existing job
programs such as those provided by Looking Glass. He noted that only 7 of
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e the 300 police referrals actually appeared at the job center; none of these 7
youth were enrolled in job training.
Ms. Bascom commented that the juvenile component of the CRT program was not
as effective as the council had hoped and did not reflect earlier
predictions. In light of these results, it might be necessary to utilize
other types of strategies.
Mr. Gleason responded to Ms. Bascom's concerns by saying that the City is
already working with Looking Glass and the Juvenile Department to refine the
juvenile component of this plan. Two components of the revised plan include
the creation of appropriate diversion programming and a restitution program.
He added that the current design does not yield effective results because a
three-month intervention is not enough time. One such long-term program that
is effective in larger cities is the Urban Youth Corps. Mr. Gleason noted
that Looking Glass, in conjunction with the City and the County, has received
a grant for experimenting with an Urban Youth Corps program in Eugene. Mr.
Green added that the Urban Youth Corps attempts to instill youth with
self-esteem and pride by allowing access to meaningful jobs. Ms, Ehrman
noted that because programs such as the Urban Youth Corps are voluntary,
juveniles must be willing to jOin the program; this lack of youth willingness
was a problematic area in the juvenile component of the CRT program.
Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Kaplan said that the increase
in overall arrest activity that occurred as a result of the CRT program
e consisted mostly of adult arrests for less serious offenses.
Mr. Boles commented that there was a basic assumption that an inappropriate
amount of jail space is being used by those who are intoxicated or those with
mental illnesses. The data presented by the Department of Public Safety
(DPS) does not confirm this. Mr. Kaplan indicated that it is difficult to
determine after the fact which arrests are problem-solving arrests, where
arrests are made on minor charges for a person1s own safety. Because of this
difficulty, it was not possible to effectively evaluate this area. Mr.
Oritz, a representative of White Bird Clinic, confirmed that such problem-
solving arrests must be made to mitigate the City from potential liability,
He added that this program, although still in its early stages, is trying to
make it possible to house such individuals in locations other than jails.
Mr. Holmer expressed concern with the organizational implications of
continuing the CRT. He asked whether the CRT will fit into the already
established DPS organization, or whether the City should consider creating a
Human Service Department. Mr. Gleason responded that the greatest benefit of
this program was the problem-solving integration between the DPS, White Bird
Clinic, Buckley House, and Looking Glass. He noted that DPS, through its
long-range planning process, wants to integrate public safety operation with
the existing social services in an effort to respond to problems in a more
proa ctive manner.
Ms. Bascom indicated that she was very impressed with the work of White Bird
Clinic and, in particular, the CAHOOTS van. She felt that the CAHOOTS van
e was particularly important because of its ability to save police time. Ms.
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e Schue questioned the possible future functions of the CAHOOTS van. In
response, Mr. Oritz said that White Bird Clinic has the capacity within its
current budget to expand activities of the CAHOOTS van to include street
facilitation of problems, dealing with substance abuse crises, and follow-up
programming after initial police intervention.
Mr, Gleason reminded the council that the current CRT program is good, but
stressed that adjustments are still necessary--particularly in the mental
health component of the program. The community. has a need for more places
such as Buckley House that can provide bed spaces to those in need; this
system is already overloaded. In support of this program, Mr. Boles said
that this community exhibits a great need for this type of integrated case
management. Many types of problems require several different types of
services, and this program attempts to respond to this need.
Mr, Boles indicated he is interested in expanding the role of the CAHOOTS van
to include the mediation of domestic disputes in conjunction with public
safety. He noted that other areas (e.g" Altlanta) experimented with such a
program, and it has been effective.
Mr. Gleason distributed a tentative proposal with cost estimates of CRT
program continuation for the remainder of the fiscal year, He asked the
council for conceptual approval of this proposal, after which he will return
with a supplemental budget.
e Referring to the housing component of this tentative budget, Mr. Boles
suggested that the council should take this provision for housing out of the
budget.
Mr. Boles said that part of the success of this program resides in the
ability to shape the program through evaluation. He felt that an additional
"evaluation" component should be included in the budget.
Referring to the budget component with allocation for hiring officers, Ms.
Ehrman said she believed the initial intention was to hire community service
specialists rather than using existing police sources. She wanted a built-in
plan for the hiring of community service specialists. Mr. Gleason said that
with the current overloaded system the hiring of new officers is needed to
deal with the added burden placed on the department as a result of CRT
implementation. He added that the long-range plan will speak to the
commitment for supplanting officers with crisis response positions. People
in these positions must have arresting authority. Mr, Boles supported the
position that this shift toward community-oriented policing should be viewed
as an integration with long-range plans, not added service.
Ms. Ehrman requested that the human service agency contracts be separated
into component parts. In light of the minimal success of the juvenile
component, the council should consider omitting this from the budget. Mr.
Boles agreed that the council should closely consider the information from
the evaluation, and make its decision accordingly.
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e Ms. Bascom reminded the council that they should consider that an increase in
budget for public safety will take away financing resources allocated to
other important budget areas,
Mr. Gleason proposed that for FY90, financing for this program should be
taken from contingency funds. He acknowledged that increased funding for
public safety is needed to continue the CRT program and expresses a community
commitment toward public safety. He added that in order to maintain our
present level of public safety in the future, an increase in officers is
needed.
Ms. Bascom informed the council that she has received several letters from
members of the community concerned with the presence of "heavy-handed"
officers. She said that an increase in officer presence might not be the
solution; it might be more effective to enhance the service provided to the
commun ity. Mr. Gleason responded to this concern in saying that with
traditional policing procedures, it is difficult for an officer to make an
arrest without appearing "heavy-handed."
Mr. Boles drew comparisons between public perception of safety and the
increased enforcement of "part-two" crimes. He said that it appears that
dealing with "part-two" crimes has a positive effect on the public perception
of safety. He noted that part-two crimes are best dealt with through
community-oriented policing strategies.
e Mr, Boles requested that the revised proposal be returned to the council as a
line-item budget for the remaining eight months of the fiscal year. Mr.
Holmer added that he would like more information about the increased number
of people for proposed hire. He felt that this is not the proper year to be
expanding this program; program expansion should take place FY91. Mr. Boles
also stressed that an effort should be made toward securing federal funds to
support the CRT program.
Ms. Schue said that this is a good program and that she would support funding
for this in concept. Mr. Miller added that community response appears to
favor continuing the program.
The council reached general consensus to support this program in concept with
refinement in the juvenile portion of the program and without the added
housing element.
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
(Recorded by Traci Northman)
mncc 102389-530
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