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--> --> Activists say police slow to act after cross burning SPRINGFIELD (AP) - Mayor Sid Leiken and two civil rights organizations have criticized the Springfield Police Department's handling of a recent cross burning. Meanwhile, the FBI is looking into possible civil rights violations and a fair housing advocate is determining whether the managers of the woman's apartment complex complied with federal law in responding to the crime. Sherry Lee Collier, 44, learned from a neighbor that a 4-foot-tall, partially burned cross had been found leaning against her van on Sept. 18. It wasn't the first attack on Collier. Her tires were slashed in August, and early last month she exchanged words with a neighbor who shouted racial epithets at her. Leiken and two civil rights groups - the Eugene-Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect - say the police did not respond quickly enough to Collier's complaint or treat her with proper respect. Leiken recommended more diversity training for police department employees and suggested that police should have publicly said such incidents would not be tolerated. The Springfield Alliance plans to meet with police next month. The group has several criticisms. One is the department's release of Collier's address. "There are enough random bigots in the community that you do not let them know where a vulnerable person lives," said Marion Malcom, the group's organizer. Police Capt. Rich Harrison praised his department's response. He said a detective was on the case within four hours of the first call to police. Police have exhausted their first batch of leads without identifying a suspect, but the investigation is continuing. "This wasn't treated like every other case," Harrison said. "This was put on the fast track because of the kind of crime it was." The FBI is investigating the burned cross incident as a potential federal civil rights violation, said Mike Morrow, a supervisory agent with the Eugene and Salem offices of the FBI. "I wouldn't say we've run out all our leads by any means," Morrow said. "We still have leads pending and people to interview." Collier's attorney, Bob Ackerman, said he's generally satisfied with the investigation but believes officers failed to deal with the racial slurs directed at Collier and have been slow to respond to some of her complaints. He and Collier want greater on-site security at her housing complex and a fuller explanation of the police department's investigation. Richard Guske, director of a Fair Housing Act hotline, is investigating whether the Housing Authority and Community Services Agency of Lane County, which owns and manages the housing complex, responded appropriately to the burning. Don Williams, housing director for HACSA, acknowledged that the on-site housing manager to didn't respond quickly enough to the discovery of the cross. Williams said security cameras should be added within 45 days. A security company was hired about a week after the incident and will remain until the cameras are installed. "We are charged with providing decent, safe, sanitary housing," he said, "and we take that responsibility seriously." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing