A team of Eugene Police Department (EPD) employees and community-service police are working to dramatically reduce crime in the city – through education and outreach.
For instance, in the month of December 2009, the team – known as the Crime Prevention Specialists (CPS) – increased awareness about property crime in the campus area before students left for the holiday break. As a result, no property crime was reported on the University of Oregon campus or nearby housing during that time.
Here’s how it works: Members of CPS are assigned to specific neighborhoods and dedicate their time and effort to informing locals about crime prevention and safety procedures. CPS also offers free informative presentations for Eugene neighborhood groups on various issues such as domestic violence, theft, property crime, and personal safety.
EPD Sergeant Lisa Barrong says, “We strive to help the city with neighborhood safety and give the chance for locals to talk to real human beings.”
As part of the EPD’s Property Crimes Reduction Initiative, the Crime Prevention Team just wrapped up a 9-day outreach program in the West University neighborhoods “to help students and neighbors become ‘harder targets’ for the usual spring break crime spike,” said Jenna B. LaBounty, EPD public information coordinator.
The efforts included organizing a mobile police station in various locations and going door-to-door to offer crime prevention information and services, said LaBounty. “The team’s main prevention focus related to burglaries, thefts from vehicles, and thefts of vehicles,” she said.
For more than 20 years the CPS has grown and enhanced its strategies – such as distributing safety pamphlets, sending e-mails, and making door-to-door visits – to increase safety awareness and decrease crime, and to better protect the residents of Eugene.
“The team of specialists varies throughout the years, but the objective
remains strong and reassuring to the citizens of Eugene,” says Barrong.
“Their pamphlets on property crime helped me learn how serious car theft is near UO campus. I had my car broken into before, but I now keep all of my valuables inside my apartment,” says Eugene resident Breea Weigel.
The EPD has 300 employees and support staff. In 2008, the EPD received approximately 100,000 service calls. According EPD’s website, “Officers and support staff are on duty to respond to calls for service and assist community members 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
CPS has two public safety stations in Eugene: one at 13th and Alder and another at 6th and Monroe. For more information or to schedule a neighborhood presentation about crime prevention, visit the Crime Prevention Services website or call 541.682.5137.
