APPENDIX III

TRENDS AND ISSUES

The purpose of this report is to provide context for strategic planning related to future police services. A trend indicates a direction in which the future is likely to be inclined based upon available facts and information. Only those trends and issues that directly or indirectly affect police services are included in this report.

Much of the trend information presented in the report is extracted from the Oregon Department of Corrections, “Community Impact Study for Junction City and the Southern Willamette Valley.”

Geography

Trend: The City is growing to the west and to the south

Issues:

• The expanding physical configuration of the City will make it increasingly difficult to provide adequate patrol coverage of the City.
• The location of the police department/city hall will become further away from the majority of citizens affecting relations with the community.

Annexation/Population Growth

Trend: There will be annexation of the planned Department of Corrections Prison facility. This will include industrial land along Highway 99 north up to and including the prison. A planned 800 lot housing development to the west will be annexed and there will be piecemeal annexation of property along 10^th avenue to deal with a failing water supply as well as other residential land within the Urban Growth Boundary.

Issues:

• There will be an increase in demand for service.
• There will be an increase in response times to calls for service.

Economy

Trend: Despite the current the current economic downsizing in the region, Junction City, specifically, should see greater growth in the manufacturing sector. The service industry comprised of business, professional, health and other services should continue to develop in Junction City. The construction and continued operation of the correctional facility will have an effect on the southern Willamette Valley economy increasing both economic activity levels as well as new population and household levels.

Issues:

· There is a need for the City to respond strategically to new economic opportunities.

· There is a need for the City to develop a long-term financial projection methodology.

· An expanding economy resulting in new and different types of jobs will change the demographics of the community.

· Demographic changes will result in changed community expectations.

Community Expectations

Trend: Growth in population will increase the demand for traditional police services, such as patrol, traffic, and investigations.

Issues:

• The community will expect the highest level of service at the least cost.
• The department must determine how to best use available resources to meet community expectations.

Trend: Citizens expect greater visibility of police in their neighborhoods.

Issue: The department must determine strategies for becoming more visible in the community.

Trend: Citizens have expressed concern the department must improve in the areas of timely response to requests for service, equitable enforcement of the law and prevention of crime.

Issues:

• Improved timely response and greater ability to prevent crime will require additional police resources.
• Perceived need for improvement in the equitable enforcement of the law may require public education as to actual enforcement, department policy review and/or training of employees.

Police Department Operations

Trend: Junction City will experience sustained growth with potential spikes in population related to prison construction and housing development.

Issues:

• The police department is not sufficiently staffed to deal with sudden increases in demand for service created by expansion of geography or population.
• The entry-level training requirements for police officers and dispatchers will always position the department to be in a catch-up mode when dealing with increased demand for service.
• As demand for service increases, the police department will be forced to consider differential response to some requests for service such as taking telephone reports on some reported crimes instead of dispatching a police officer to every call for service.
• The School Resource Officer Program (the only budgeted prevention/education program currently offered by the department) funding expires at the end of FY03. New funding sources will need to be identified if the program is to continue in FY04 and beyond.

Trend: The cost of providing police services will continue to increase.

Issues:

· The department will be challenged to continue providing the expected level of service with limited resources.

· Recruitment, selection, training and retention of qualified employees will become more difficult as opportunities created by vacancies in larger agencies with more resources occur.

Trend: Vehicle traffic will increase on city streets and, particularly, on the Highway 99 corridor.

Issue:

• There will be the need for the department to devote greater resources to traffic law enforcement and traffic safety education.

Trend: There will be the introduction of new technology into the department such as digital radio systems, on-line reporting systems, automatic data entry systems, mobile data computers, forensic equipment, etc.

Issues:

• The cost of purchasing new technology will be high.
• The question of whether to purchase new technology systems or to contract with other agencies for the services these systems provide will remain constant.

• There will be the need to train employees in the use of new technology.

Trend: The elderly population in Junction City is increasing.

Issues:

• There is a need to train employees in the investigation of crimes against the elderly.
• There will be a need to do a better job of educating the elderly on how not to become a victim of crime.

Trend: Computer crime will continue to increase.

Issue:

• There is a need to train employees in the investigation of computer crime.

Trend: With the growth in population and increase in traffic, the number of municipal code violations and traffic law violations will increase.

Issues:

• There will be greater workload for municipal court resulting in police officers having to spend more time testifying in court.
• Municipal court revenues will increase.

Trend: Jail overcrowding will continue at the Lane County jail.

Issues:

• Jail overcrowding means the same people are being repeatedly arrested and released into the community in ever-increasing numbers.
• The public will continue to grow disenchanted with the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
• Workload will increase on police officers and communication officers.

Trend: Increased numbers of supervised felony offenders are living within or close in to Junction City.

Issues:

• May result in increased criminal activity related to drug and alcohol abuse, thefts, burglaries, and robberies.
• There is a need to maintain existing close working relationship between JCPD and Lane County Parole and Probation.

Trend: Legislation and court decisions will continue to impose strict standards on employers in the areas of employee rights such as collective bargaining, harassment and discrimination free workplaces, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Medical Leave ACT (FMLA).

Issues:

• There will be a need for periodic review and update of applicable rules, policies and procedures.
• There will be a need for managers and supervisors to be trained in the administration of legislated mandates and court decisions.
• All employees will need periodic training related to harassment and discrimination free workplaces.

Trend: The existing upward trend of civil litigation being filed against police departments and/or its employees will continue.

Issues:

• There is a need to select and retain quality employees
• There is an on-going need to ensure good policy direction, training and supervision of employees.

Trend: The Junction City Police Department has initiated the use of planning methodologies to plan for police services.

Issues:

• The police department must determine how to or whether to continue this process following adoption of the Strategic Police Services Plan.
• If the use of planning methodologies continues, effective citizen involvement strategies must be developed.