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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Medford councilors irked by leaks from closed meetings ... Police shootings weigh on Rogue Valley officers ... Wyden pushes for study of gun violence ... Medford councilors irked by leaks from closed meetings ... Police shootings weigh on Rogue Valley officers ... Wyden pushes for study of gun violence ... OUR VIEW Our View: Another police levy try in Josephine County Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Josephine County residents concerned about increasing lawlessness and decreasing police protection are hoping those trends will convince voters to approve a property tax levy to beef up sheriff's patrols and restore jail capacity and juvenile detention. Residents of other counties, including this one, will be watching closely, because they are helping to pay for Oregon State Police troopers to pick up the slack. Supporters of public safety spending have tried eight times to pass a levy to restore massive budget cuts made in 2012 when federal timber subsidies dwindled. Each time, rural Josephine County residents' answer has been a resounding no, despite support for the measures within the city of Grants Pass. The city still has a functioning police force — but not enough jail space to lock up offenders, because the county can't afford to keep all of its jail open. Sheriff's patrols are down to half-time, and there is no detective division at all. Levy backers say without a funding increase, the county could be without any functioning criminal justice system by next summer. Meanwhile, a bad situation in rural parts of the county has gotten worse. Violent crime increased 40 percent in the 10 years ending in 2014. Josephine County now leads the state in the rate of car thefts, and ranks 27th in the entire country, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. OSP officers respond to the most serious calls when they can, and assist with investigations. But that pulls troopers off state highways and limits their availability to other counties, where their assistance is also welcome. Whether this alarming reality is enough to change voters' minds remains to be seen. A sizeable number of rural residents appear to think they can handle any problems themselves, and have organized armed patrols to do that, despite warnings from real law enforcement officials that vigilante tactics are a recipe for disaster and potentially illegal. It's also likely that a certain proportion of rural residents oppose more public safety funding because they are busy engaging in illegal activities of their own — growing marijuana for the black market in other states, for instance — and don't want to see more rural patrols. Whatever the reason, levy proponents have a tough job ahead, first to gather 2,000 signatures and then to convince reluctant property owners to pay for their own police protection. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501