Press Releases

For Immediate Release: March 8, 2010

The Gray Lady Highlights OAA Radio Campaign Against Risky Early Release Policies
(Salem) –The New York Times recently credited Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance’s actions as a key reason the Oregon legislature suspended a risky early-release policy. OAA is featured prominently in a March 4, 2010, New York Times article on the risks of letting criminals out of prison early. Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: March 4, 2010

Representative Greg Smith was lone Republican vote in favor of law to weaken crime law in Special Session of 2010—Earned Time Legislation

(Salem) The Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance PAC bases its endorsement of a candidate on a variety of factors, including an evaluation of votes on criminal justice bills. We do provide candidates with a scorecard as to their votes on criminal justice bills. Because we press for public safety legislation which generally has broad bipartisan support, most legislators have a reasonably high score on our legislation. However, there are some critical bills which make all the difference in our evaluation of a candidate. This is especially true as to legislation dealing with direct impact on crime victims. The Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance PAC has endorsed Colleen MacLeod in her primary challenge against incumbent Representative Greg Smith because Representative Smith was the only Republican in the entire Oregon House of Representatives who voted wrong during the 2010 special session on a critical bill affecting crime victims. Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: February 3, 2010

Salem, OR - The debate over earned time, the law that allows prisoners to earn reduced sentencing for "good time" behavior while being incarcerated, is heating up.  Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee started hearing testimony on ways to fix what many in law enforcement, such as the Attorney General, the District Attorneys, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, and the Police Chiefs consider to be a disastrous public policy.  In a recent case, registered sex offender and burglar Demetrius Payton, who received early release under this policy, was arrested on new charges of burglary and unlawful sexual penetration. Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: February 1, 2010
 

Salem, Oregon - Today, the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance announced its "Catch and Release Spotlight" program by releasing its first statewide radio ad highlighting the recent release and rearrest of Demetrius Payton, a convicted sex offender.

"The purpose of this program is to expose the danger of the early release legislation passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2009," said Tara Lawrence, executive director and general counsel for the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance, "when the Oregon Legislature voted to let violent criminals out of jail early, they voted to let predators like Demetrius Payton loose to prey on honest citizens." Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: January 28, 2010

Salem, OR - Today, the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance (OAA) applauded an Oregon Court of Appeals decision upholding a mandatory minimum prison sentence for the rape of a child under 12. In the State v. Shaw decision this week,the Court of Appeals held that a mandatory minimum 25-year prison term, known as Jessica’s Law, was constitutional as applied to the defendant in the case. Click here to read more.
 

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2010

Salem, OR – The Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance (OAA), today, filed 44,159 petition signatures on behalf of the Oregon Crimefighting Act, IP 13.
 
“This represents more than 50% of the signatures required to get this initiative on the ballot for November 2010,” said Tara Lawrence, Executive Director of OAA. Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2010

Salem, OR – Paul DeMuniz, Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, took notice of the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance's (OAA) crusade to keep Oregon's courts open when he discussed the Keep the Courts Open Act during his annual State of the Courts Address before the Salem City Club last Friday. Click here to read more.
 

For Immediate Release: January 7, 2010

Salem, OR - The Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance (OAA) just won a battle before the Oregon Supreme Court for a proposed ballot initiative that would mandate drug treatment for persons sentenced to Oregon prisons and cap at 20% the amount of “earned time” that could be reduced off an inmate’s sentence. Click here to read more.

For Immediate Release: December 23rd, 2009

Salem, Ore--Our earlier press release--"Eugene Crime Rates Keep Rising. Crime is the Consequence of Defunding Public Safety"--did not properly credit the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission for their analysis of the FBI Preliminary Uniform Crime Report. The statistical analysis and numbers were obtained from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.

If you have any further questions, please contact our Executive Director, Tara Lawrence via email at tara@oaaoregon.com or by telephone at (503) 364-3909.

For Immediate Release: December 23rd, 2009

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.” Click here to read more.