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with several people enjoying the park. There were 11 adults, six children, and two dogs at the <br /> park. Families with children were centered near the playground area, dog owners on the grassy <br /> field, and three different men with bicycles were on the perimeter benches, two were drinking <br /> together from an unmarked container, and one sitting alone smoking. <br /> One local business owner, playing with his son stated that drug dealing and needles were indeed <br /> a problem, especially in nice weather. An elderly woman we approached stated that the park <br /> wasn't really a problem for her, because she didn't scare easily, yet also stated she wouldn't go <br /> there at night. Her 11 -year old granddaughter had strong feelings about a rumor that someone <br /> had a knife pulled on them in the park and that she wouldn't go there alone. <br /> An emergency room social worker was playing with her dog and stated that she felt homeless <br /> people and teenagers in the park were the major source of difficulty, and that the park had shown <br /> improvement since last summer. She felt that homeowners with high value property facing the <br /> park were a major source of complaints. She expressed a desire to balance the concerns for <br /> safety with an acknowledgment of the lack of space in local shelters, psychiatric facilities, and <br /> drug treatment centers. <br /> As the employees walked the perimeter of the park, intending to approach the men with bicycles, <br /> a patrol car cruised by and was flagged down for a quick discussion about the current situation in <br /> the park. Officer Greg Calef of the Patrol Division stated that the park had improved following <br /> the efforts of Officer Randy Ellis and Jennifer Curry during previous years. He said the <br /> problems were seasonal and intermittent, noting that Whitaker Public safety was no longer <br /> staffed with a patrol officer. He stated that in his experience, the Overnight Parking program had <br /> really saved the Police a lot of time because once they were asked to respond, the legwork such <br /> as social service interventions and warnings was done, saving them time with arguments and <br /> resistance. <br /> By the time the brief conversation with the local officer was concluded, the three different men <br /> on two separate park benches had disappeared. Rain began falling in earnest and the park was <br /> quickly emptied. <br /> Of those to whom the workers spoke, only one woman with a child stated that she had never had <br /> a problem with the park and felt safe there. All of those we spoke to about the idea of an <br /> outreach worker in the park were supportive, including the patrol officer. Both the Business <br /> Owner and the Social Worker supported the proposed approach and provided their full contact <br /> information in order to become involved with citizen advocacy efforts in the neighborhood. <br /> Executive Summary: In response to the increasing number of citizen complaints to the Eugene <br /> Police Department and the City of Eugene concerning the safety of Public Parks, St. Vincent de <br /> Paul Society of Lane Co., Inc. (SVDP) submits the following proposal. <br /> This proposal partners SVDP with the Eugene Police Department (EPD), Eugene Parks and <br /> Recreation Department and citizen advocacy groups to address the needs of the neighborhoods <br /> surrounding the Riverfront, Monroe, Scobert and Washington- Jefferson parks and the Officers <br /> who respond to calls. <br /> To assist EPD to effectively respond to the large number of incidents in a more cost - efficient <br /> manner, SVDP intends to rotate staff through the parks, providing trained outreach workers who <br /> will serve as a deterrent to illegal activity. These on -site First Responders will be available to <br /> handle complaints from the public and to issue warnings to potential offenders. With this system <br /> Z <br />