Community Safety System

Struggling to Meet the Need

The Community Safety System includes police, fire, 911, municipal court, prevention and social services, which are interdependent and work together. 


Right now, the system is stressed:

The Community Safety System is made up of an interdependent group of City department and community partners

  • In the past 5 years, 911 calls for Eugene Police have increased 21% while police and 911 staffing have remained flat.
  • From 2014 to 2017, homicide, rape, robbery, assault, sex offenses, and family offenses have increased by 18%.
  • Police are unable to respond to 1 out of 3 calls due to lack of patrol resources (when there is no immediate threat to life).
  • It takes officers an average of 20 more minutes to respond to these calls for service.
  • Response times for life threatening emergencies (cardiac arrest, stroke, trauma, breathing) have also increased because more people experiencing chronic conditions call EMS due to the fact that they don’t have any other options.
  • One courtroom of three is unused due to lack of staff.
  • The number of youth diagnosed with mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety continues to rise.

While many creative programs have been applied to this problem to maximize resources and meet community needs, the growing demand continues to outpace capacity causing critical gaps in community safety and services.


Download and print a one-page summary of the problem, plan, results and funding proposal.

  1. Bridge Funding/Long-term Needs
  2. Timeline
  3. Collaborative Programs 
  4. Council Presentations / Media Coverage
  5. Community Surveys
  6. Community Outreach

Bridge Funds Provide Support Through June 2020

On December 10 the City Council (unanimously) approved a one-time, 18-month funding strategy for $8.6 million. This “bridge” funding will support prevention efforts and services for youth and people experiencing homelessness, as well as police and emergency response services through June 2020.


Long-term Solution

Council also committed to finding a long-term solution to this problem. A Revenue Team of community members and Councilors was established in November 2018. This team reviewed funding options that could provide on-going support for community prevention, response and resolution services. All of these services must work together to ensure efficient and effective use of these critical resources. The Revenue Team recommended a payroll tax to support $23.6 million in community safety services on an annual basis. 


City Council Passes Community Safety Payroll Tax Ordinance

At their June 10 work session, the Eugene City Council passed the community safety payroll tax ordinance that will provide on-going, sustainable funding for city-wide public safety efforts.


Learn more