Community Safety Initiative

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Community Safety Pinwheel DiagramThe Community Safety System

The Community Safety System includes police, fire, 911, municipal court, prevention and social services, which are interdependent and work together. 


What is the problem? 

Our Community Safety System is stressed

  • Calls for police service increased 21% from 2014-17.
  • Staffing levels have remained relatively flat.
  • One out of three non-life threatening police calls for service receive no response, and general response times have increased by 20 minutes. 
  • The number of unsheltered homeless adults is significantly higher than in many other similar communities. 

While many creative programs have been applied to this problem to maximize resources and meet community needs, the growing demand continues to outpace capacity.

What is the plan? 

The Eugene City Council passed the Community Safety Payroll Tax Ordinance (No. 20616) in June 2019 to provide long-term funding for community safety services. The Community Safety Payroll Tax is expected to generate funds to provide faster, more efficient safety responses, deter crime, connect people to services, engage and help at-risk youth, support more investigations and court services, and add jail beds to reduce capacity-based releases and hold those who commit crimes accountable.

Three-pronged approach

Prevent

Many people are seen repeatedly. The goal is to reduce those interactions and help people deal with their challenges. Community partners are integral.


  • Deter crime
  • Connect people to services
  • Engage at-risk youth early

Respond

This is the first priority with the goals of:


  • Answering more calls
  • Getting to more crimes faster
  • Using new tools and methods to increase efficiency

Resolve

The goal is to resolve every situation in a way that is best for the people involved, as well as the community.


  • More investigations
  • More court services
  • More accountability
  1. Updates
  2. Funding Highlights
  3. Accountability Requirements

At their July 20 work session, the City Council passed two motions related to getting additional input from Communities of Color about community safety funding and police policies. Staff are currently working on these efforts and more information will be provided as soon as it is available. 


Below is a brief summary of each motion:

 

Community Safety Initiative Engagement Sessions

City Council directed the City Manager to convene engagement sessions with organizations representing communities of color to specify changes or additions to the Community Safety Initiative that would best respond to the needs of their communities. The intention for these sessions is to invite a broad cross section of organizations and leaders within communities of color to learn about the development of the Community Safety Initiative and listen to their perspective on how the intended outcomes and proposed uses of payroll tax funds align with the public safety priorities within their communities.  Learn about the sessions and engagement opportunities. 

 

Police Policy Ad Hoc Council Committee

City Council voted to create an ad hoc committee to review current police policies related to Campaign Zero’s policy solutions and the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. This group will prepare and submit a report to the City Council recommending policy changes to current police policy by January 31, 2021. 


Read more about the Police Policy Ad Hoc Council Committee, see a schedule of upcoming virtual meetings and instructions about how to watch/listen, and learn about committee members.