The brown cement exterior of Eugene City Hall makes the building appear sturdy, but looks can be deceiving. The Eugene Police Department has made it clear that despite massive city-wide budget cuts, the seismic inadequacies and outdated design of the building are severe enough for the department to receive a new one.
The City of Eugene has $22 million in facility reserve money, and EPD hopes some of that money might be used to either construct a new building or transform a property on Country Club Road into a police station.
Despite EPD’s plans to upgrade to a better facility, the current economic climate continues to hit the department hard.
EPD Financial Analyst Glen Svendsen said EPD has reduced the number of take-home vehicles to save money on fuel and preserve the condition of police cars. And to make up for EPD’s $1,384,471 deficit, Svendsen said the department has decided to replace police cars and in-car computers less frequently.
Svendsen said EPD already functions with fewer officers, and may have to cut 10 to 12 positions or force officers to take furlough days. The only way to avoid that scenario is if the union forgoes cost-of-living increases in EPD salaries.
EPD Sergeant Rich Stronach said he realizes the city is under a $12 million budget cut for the 2010 fiscal year, but maintains that a new police station would make it easier for EPD to carry out its duties.
“We are no different than anybody else. I don’t want to sound like we are crying the blues, but it is nearly impossible to keep services running to their full capacities in a run-down building and with budget cuts,” Stronach said. “We are at minimum staffing, and it is fair to see that the community is not as safe as it could be.”
A 2007 study by the Magellan Research Center found that EPD is severely understaffed and has fewer police per capita than other Oregon cities.
City Councilor George Brown said he sympathizes with residents’ concerns that moving the station out of downtown Eugene would make residents more susceptible to crime. He also said it is unfair to replace the police station with money from the facility reserve, which was originally established to build a new city hall.
Brown said although the property on Country Club Road seems appealing without looking at other factors, housing the police station far away from the rest of the city employees would not be in the city’s best interest.
“If the station was across the river, it would disconnect police from the officials who are elected by the citizens, the ultimate source of power and authority,” he said. “I also don’t support urban abandonment. If we move patrol across the river, we leave other city employees in a dangerous building, and then if we moved everyone, the city is left with an unattractive and abandoned building downtown.”
Stronach said EPD doesn’t have a preference on whether the city builds a new station or retrofits an established one.
A City of Eugene Community Survey from 2008 reported that crime is the third area of dissatisfaction for residents, after unemployment and the economy.
Stronach attributes community dissatisfaction to the fact that EPD is currently unable to provide the same level of services it has traditionally provided in the past. In years past, EPD increased patrol on holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco De Mayo.
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EPD hopes to use reserves to update building
Daily Emerald
May 5, 2009
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