Cave Junction adding more security downtown

CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. —  Cave Junction will soon be ramping up their security downtown.

Josephine County Commissioners voted Wednesday to put $100,000  towards installing additional street lights and security cameras.

That money’s coming from the sale of a County building in Cave Junction.

“Picked up the rock, came directly through the window, and jumped in…,” said Belinda Wright, owner of Wright World’s Emporium.

Belinda Wright’s owned Wright’s World Emporium in Cave Junction for three years. Last month, she says her store was broken into twice in one week.

“There are cameras out there and you’re going to come right through my front window…,” she said. “That really kind of makes you feel unsafe.”

Wright’s installed eight security cameras inside her store and iron bars on windows; she says that’s the norm here.

“What I can’t catch on mine they can catch on theirs and vice versa,” Wright said.

It’s one of the many reasons Monique Allen, owner of Cavenet and TC Computers, says she’s been petitioning the County to ramp-up security for the past six years.

“People are afraid to come here at night, people are afraid to travel here at night, a lot of people that live here are afraid to walk down the streets…,” Allen said.

And now her wish is coming true. Josephine County Commissioners voted Wednesday to allocate $100,000 to install additional lights and security cameras downtown.

But not everyone feels the extra security will make all that much of a difference.

“People are kind of scared to go out… unless they have a gun,” said Tony Adamson, Cave Junction resident.

Adamson lives 10 miles outside of town. He says things aren’t really going to change until Cave Junction gets it’s own police department.

“Cameras can see what happens maybe for later, but at the time, it doesn’t really help you…,” he said.

Still, Allen and Wright are optimistic… hoping it’s a step in the right direction.

“We’re all trying to come together as a community and get our reputation back to the quaint, little town that we were… With a lot of great people that care about each other,” said Allen.

The County and city say the hope is to have all the work done within a year.

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