Original story: MEDFORD, Ore. —Medford’s City Council is voting Thursday on a plan, to change how the city polices the downtown area. The city is considering a Pilot Program that could bring more police enforcement to the downtown core.
The idea came to the city, from business owners concerned about crime. The hope with this new Pilot Program is to expand the Livability Team’s presence.
The MPD team works primarily on the greenway, to help connect individuals with resources. The city says the Pilot Program would move a foot patrol officer from that team to the downtown area. They would make contact with businesses, observe behaviors, and increase the police presence downtown.
“People that are picked for the Livability Team have the ability to connect with people in a way that’s much deeper, honestly they are part social worker, part case manager, and part police officer they are fully invested in the community and want to make a difference,” said city councilor, Tim DeAlessandro.
Thursday night the city council will consider three options for the amount of time the officer would patrol downtown. Option 1 is 30 hours, option 2 is 36 hours, and the final option is 40 hours per week. After the trial period is up, the city will evaluate if they want to move forward on a full-time basis.
Local businesses are watching closely to see if the Pilot Program will change things downtown.
Maisie Vanderhoof owns Scrub Hub, on east Main Street. She’s been following the development of the Pilot Program, along with the Downtown Medford Association. She says any extra support the downtown area can get to make the community safer is beneficial.
She hopes there’s also a push for more mental health services for the homeless.
“The more police presence we have in downtown is great but I also think coupling that with mental health resources is important, I don’t think it should fall on the police department, there’s a need for mental health support,” said Vanderhoof.
She says she would love to see an additional 40 hour a week officer downtown.
The city council meeting Thursday, began at 6.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.