Police Commission seeks feedback
Thanks to the Emerald editorial board for printing a follow-up to the Community Policing Workshop held at the law school Feb. 14. A few clarifications are needed though.
In both articles on Feb. 14 advancing the workshop and the Feb. 18 commentary, the Police Commission and Eugene Police Department were used interchangeably, when these are two separate entities. The Police Commission is a group of 12 citizen volunteers to make recommendations to better align police policies and resource priorities with community values. The commission reports to the chief of police, city council and city manager.
The Police Commission isn’t a public outreach service of the police department, but is charged by city ordinance to help increase communication between police and the community. That’s what the group was trying to do Feb. 14. Whether Valentine’s Day or lack of student interest in police issues was to blame for low attendance, I’m not sure. We were assured by the few students who attended the workshop that given more opportunities, the campus community would share its opinions and concerns about policing issues with the commission.
I invite those who had Valentine’s Day plans, or the many other priorities that we all juggle, to take the time to fill out a community policing feedback form electronically. Your input will help the commission represent your interests when recommendations for the future direction of police services are developed. The forms, and other information on the commission’s work, are located at www.ci.eugene.or.us/policecomm/index.htm.

John H. Brown

Eugene Police Commission