Thirty of Eugene’s finest will soon be hitting the city’s streets with a new tool at their disposal. The Lane County Board of Commissioners authorized a grant last Wednesday authorizing almost $190,000 to install cameras, known as Digital Patrollers, in 30 Lane County Police Officers’ squad cars. Funding for the cameras, which will send live video feeds back to the Eugene Police Department, comes from a $2.5 million grant awarded by the Community Orientated Policing Services program.
There are currently 106 Digital Patrollers in use throughout the state. Some officers who used the video recording devices reported feeling safer with the cameras because, when lawbreakers were informed they were being videotaped, many became less aggressive, knowing anything they do could be videotaped and presented in court later. It is obviously for the community’s benefit any time our local police are able to increase their effectiveness. However, what should not be forgotten is that there is a severe lack of police presence at our University.
The Emerald reported earlier in the month on this shortage. Only one sworn police officer patrols the campus area per 5,000 students. Put simply, there are four police officers assigned with the task of protecting and serving the University community. Often, only one of these officers is patrolling at any given time. Sometimes, there are none. By contrast, Oregon State University employs 2.65 sworn officers per 5,000 students. Washington State, Arizona State, Washington, UCLA, Stanford and Arizona all employ between four and seven officers per 5,000 students. Statistics indicate that in a large community such as the University of Oregon, this is a grossly under representative number.
The campus Department of Public Safety is the University’s primary source of emergency assistance. Fourteen DPS officers patrol the University grounds, keeping an eye out for students’ safety and well-being. However, when it comes to crime prevention, they are often limited in what they can do. Since they are not officially designated as police officers, Oregon law prohibits DPS officers from carrying guns. As a result, the Eugene Police Department must be called in to handle more serious situations.
In all likelihood, the majority of cases where the Digital Patrollers will play a significant role are in traffic-related incidents, such as drunken driving charges. By no means is it a bad thing that these recording devices will cut down on the number of reckless drivers on our streets. It’s questionable, however, whether these devices will have much of an impact on non-vehicle cases. An assault incident near the cemetery on campus would probably be most accessible to police by foot, for instance.
That there is only four armed police officers campus-wide borders on unbelievable. While Eugene is no breeding ground for violence, there is a considerable homeless population here. Many are located downtown, where the city’s most popular bars and nightspots reside. But there is also a large concentration of vagrants in low-income, student housing areas.
The question isn’t whether having such a diminutive police presence on campus is acceptable or not. It clearly isn’t. What must be asked is what can be done to increase that presence. The University can’t simply ask for more Eugene Police Department officers – the city has a shortage as it is. University officials and EPD administrators are in ongoing talks about how to rectify this problem. But the University must do its part. That starts with enough funding to ensure adequate police representation on our campus. Protection should not be a discretionary commodity, it should be a given.
EPD must increase its campus presence
Daily Emerald
October 28, 2007
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