Eugene Crime Rates Keep Rising Crime is the Consequence of Defunding Public Safety

For Immediate Release
December 23, 2009
Contact: Tara Lawrence 503.364.3909

Salem, Ore–New FBI data reveals that violent and property crime rates in Eugene, Oregon kept rising in 2009. The rest of the nation and other major Oregon cities, meanwhile, experienced a drop in crime which is listed below.

“Lane County has severely underfunded public safety over the last decade, resulting in less jail beds to hold violent criminals,” said Oregon Anti-crime Alliance executive director, Tara Lawrence. “Increased crime is the consequence of leaving sheriffs, jails, district attorneys, and police hungry at the budget table. The rising crime rates in Eugene demonstrate this reality.”

Lawrence explains, “These new FBI statistics can serve as a wake-up call for state legislators who seek to balance the state budget by releasing criminals into our neighborhoods.” In early 2009, Oregon legislators passed an early-release program that cuts prison sentences for some violent criminals. Legislators passed the program to reduce the state’s general fund budget, but according to Lawrence, “Early release may cost us more in the long run in terms of higher crime rates, especially when you consider that an underfunded jail is part of Eugene’s crime problem.”

FBI Preliminary Semi-Annual Crime Statistics

According to the FBI Preliminary Uniform Crime Report, crime is down across the nation for the first six months of 2009. Violent crime fell by 4.4 percent nationally and 3.3 percent in the West. Property crime also had a decrease of 6.1 percent nationally and 6.7 percent in the West.

The report provides data on Oregon cities with 100,000 or more population which includes Eugene, Gresham, Portland and Salem. These four cities account for just under 960,000 people or 25 percent of the state. Portland experienced the largest crime decreases of the four cities with an 8.6 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 15.7 percent decrease in the number of property crimes. Salem had a decrease of 7.3 percent in property crime and an increase of 3.6 percent in violent crime. Eugene continued to have increases in both property and violent crime, with a large increase of 15.6 percent in the number of property crimes and a 3.9 percent increase in the number of violent crimes. Finally, Gresham had the largest violent crime decrease of the four cities of 26 percent and an increase of 8.6 percent in the number of property crimes. The four city total saw decreases that were larger than the nation with a 7.7 percent decrease in violent crimes and a 7.3 percent decrease in property crimes.

Credit: The statistical analysis and numbers were obtained from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.

The goal of the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance is to see Oregon’s cities be among the safest in the nation.