Eugene Police Story Update
March 29, 2019
The
roll-out of the Eugene Police Street Crimes Unit has created capacity to
address and solve problems throughout the city of Eugene. The unit’s work is
well underway and here is one example of what the team can do with more
discretionary time:
Yesterday,
March 28 at 2:48 p.m., Eugene Police’s Street Crimes Unit was in the W. 6th
and Blair area and conducted a traffic stop on a wrong way driver. The vehicle
was going eastbound on W. 6th Avenue (a westbound road), then pulled
into a local motel. The driver got out and met with a man in the parking lot.
There was a hand-to-hand drug exchange. Oregon State Police assisted with their
drug dog. The result was the detection of a large amount of
methamphetamine. Thousands of dollars were seized along with and small amount
of heroin. The investigation is open and ongoing.
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During
the first week of operations, the Street Crimes Unit started strong with their
March 12 operation at 2566 Willona, assisting Code Enforcement. That residence
had had 93 calls for service since 2010, including 81 calls since
the owners moved in. At least 13 people were contacted and arrested this year
associated with the residence. Two people were arrested during the March 12, 2019,
operation. The Willona house had been a frequent location for calls and a
drain on police resources. This house would not have been able to have
been abated without all the hard work from patrol, investigations, a community
service officer, and personnel from City of Eugene’s Code Enforcement.
After
working the Willona case, they assisted Special Investigations detectives
working a sting regarding child prostitution. A man, later identified as Steven
Pajela Deleon-Guerrero age 34, of Springfield, responded to a posting made by
the detective and the “girl” identified herself as age 12. On the morning of
March 13, investigations set up a date to meet the ‘girl’ near a designated
location in the Eugene area, and when Deleon-Guerrero arrived, he was contacted
by detectives with the assistance of the Eugene Police Street Crime Unit and
placed under arrest for Online Sexual Corruption of a Child and Possession of a
Firearm (handgun), which was located at the time of arrest.
On
March 12, an SCU member followed up on a drug dealing complaint at an apartment
in Eugene. He investigated and found the suspect also had online escort ads and
she had warrants for her arrest. On March 13, with the assistance of a
detective, the SCU officer worked to arrest the suspect on her warrants
after developing probable cause for prostitution. In addition to the
pending prostitution charge, she is facing charges for felon in possession of a
restricted weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance Schedule IV and
Possession of a Controlled Substance Heroin.
On
March 15 at 8:51 p.m., two SCU officers conducted a traffic stop of a
suspicious vehicle and contacted David Charles Miner, age 38, of Eugene, who a
detective was seeking regarding the 2018 burglary of a home under construction.
While taking Miner into custody officers spotted a meth pipe in plain view
inside his vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted and an amount
of methamphetamine was located under the driver's seat. He was charged
with Burglary in the Second Degree and Theft in the First Degree, Unlawful
Possession of a Controlled Substance (felony), Driving While Suspended, and
Driving Uninsured.
The
SCU also made a handful of warrant arrests during the week, gathered
information on future problem areas to address, and recovered an unoccupied
stolen vehicle.
The
SCU will focus on prolific offenders, who are identified through
intelligence-based policing, public tips and other sources. They will
proactively respond across the city to quality of life issues as they arise,
using all available resources and partners such as community groups,
neighborhood associations and city services.
The
unit currently consists of a lieutenant, a sergeant and four officers. The team
will expand to include another sergeant and four additional officers as
staffing allows.
The
SCU and its activities are made possible by the Eugene City Council’s
endorsement of an 18-month bridge-strategy of $8.6 million to address immediate
community safety system needs, while it looks for longer-term solutions. This
one-time funding was provided in December 2018 via the supplemental budget.
Eugene
Police and other community safety partners including police, fire, 911,
municipal court, homelessness, and related social services, have begun applying
the bridge funding, which sunsets after June 2020. For EPD, that has meant
hiring police officers to create a Street Crimes Unit, as well as hiring
dispatchers and community service officers, and expanding jail services.
Throughout
2018, the City Council met and worked with staff to gain a deeper understanding
of the community safety system and issues, examine possible strategies, get
feedback from the community, and ultimately implement measures to address
critical safety gaps. The total needed for longer-term system stability is
approximately $22 million per year and the Eugene City Council is taking a look
at possible funding options.