Stereotypes suggest that police officers love coffee and doughnuts, but in the case of Eugene Police Department Chief Robert Lehner, he uses them as a means to bond with the community.
At EPD’s Meet the Chief event Wednesday morning, attendees were given free coffee and doughnuts, but more than that, they were given a chance to voice their concerns about what’s going on in the community.
“This is an opportunity for people to have access to the chief,” explained Debbie Janecek, station manager of EPD’s West University Public Safety Station on East 13th Avenue. “He goes quarterly to each of our neighborhood stations so people can chat with him and let him know what their issues are.”
One such person was Hugh Pritchard. Pritchard, a watch captain for the Upper Emerald Neighborhood Watch, learned of the event from an announcement in the newspaper.
“It’s a really effective part of the Eugene, Oregon city government,” he said. “It’s really valuable.”
Pritchard, who lives just south of the University and owns an office building downtown, is concerned with rowdy parties in his area and the accompanying noise.
In the grand scheme of crime, loud parties may be brushed off as comparatively insignificant, so Pritchard complimented Lehner on EPD always showing up when requested to quell the noise in his neighborhood. He also went to Meet the Chief to learn about changes that could be made, such as having citations issued to every person at these parties.
“(Lehner) told me why we can’t always do that, and I understand that,” he said. “I’d just like the police chief to know what we want.”
Lehner, who regularly attends neighborhood meetings, started doing Meet the Chief in February 2004, approximately a month after joining EPD. He previously worked as assistant police chief for the police department in Tucson, Ariz., where he grew up and graduated with two degrees from the University of Arizona.
Upon arriving in Oregon, Lehner wanted to give community members the chance to speak with the new chief, but he gives credit to Pamela Olshansky, former EPD public information director, for coming up with Meet the Chief.
“Pam said, ‘You know, we need to think about a way for the people who don’t normally go to neighborhood meetings to be able to come and say hi before work or school,” he said, explaining why, at 7 a.m., the event is so early in the morning.
At first, Meet the Chief took place monthly, with each event in a different coffee shop around town. After two years, the transition was made to the public safety stations, encouraging people to become more comfortable in the station setting. Around that time, the event’s frequency caused a drop in attendance, so Meet the Chief was changed from monthly to quarterly.
Since the switch, attendance has gone back to normal – roughly six people per session, on average.
Deb Frisch of Eugene attended Wednesday’s Meet the Chief, very angry about the Section 4.190 of Eugene City code, which pertains to the prohibition of drinking alcohol in unlicensed public places.
Subsection 4 allows alcoholic beverages to be consumed in the Autzen Stadium parking lot for a few hours before and after football games, which she feels condones drunken driving.
Frisch was adamant about repealing the subsection, but Lehner informed her that he doesn’t have that authority.
“I actually learned that I was wrong,” said Frisch, who found herself liking Lehner more than she initially thought she would. “What I’m angry at is Eugene City Council, for continuing to have a law exempting drunk Ducks fans from public drunkenness.”
Many citizens overestimate the police chief’s power, Lehner said. Part of why he enjoys Meet the Chief so much is the chance he has to inform people and help them utilize the legal system.
In doing so, Lehner found that it’s most effective to hear people out.
“It’s harder to do than it sounds,” he said, “but you’ve got to listen.”
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