The recent announcement that the city finally hired a permanent chief to run the Eugene Police Department is uplifting news for the city and campus communities alike. And while city officials were clearly thorough in their hiring process — and despite suffering a setback when the selected candidate pulled out in an earlier round of application — one thing should be said of the two-year hiatus between permanent police chiefs: It’s about time.
The new hire — Robert M. Lehner, formerly of Tucson, Ariz. — appears to be a good choice for Eugene, although like any newcomer to a public position, Lehner will have to prove himself in the Eugene environment before anything can be said for sure. Given his self-described philosophy of “community policing,” however, Lehner is off to a good start.
Specifically, the Editorial Board likes two of Lehner’s goals for his new position that he described in Tuesday’s Emerald article: His desire to work closely with University groups, and his intent to form partnerships with all neighborhood groups in Eugene, as opposed to running a police force that ignores the concerns of the public it serves.
Although Lehner doesn’t have any direct experience working within a campus framework, he told the Emerald that he worked “fairly close” with students and administrators at the University of Arizona to go over issues important to them. This is especially important in the University area, where out-of-control parties often leads to riots. On the other hand, we hope Lehner will stick to his conviction that thin police resources should not be used to harass legitimate parties in the campus area. Parties are, after all, just another aspect of college life.
Lehner summed up his philosophy toward campus policing when he told the Emerald, “I know that students want a safe environment. Certainly their parents who send them here want a safe environment, and it’s something that we will work on together to ensure that you’ll have a safe educational experience while you’re here.”
As for policing in the Eugene community, we hope Lehner can restore some of the confidence that seems to be lacking among Eugene citizenry, particularly in light of EPD’s understaffing problem and sexual misconduct charges against two former officers. Also, Eugene has a strong activist community, and clear communication among those groups and EPD will ensure that future protests do not get out of hand either via protester violence or excessive use of force by police.
All in all, Lehner’s goals and qualifications clearly show that he is willing and able to change the face of EPD for the better and strengthen the relationship between police and the Eugene community. We certainly hope this is the case, and we wish Lehner good luck as he begins his work.