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Downtown police patrols work, merchants say By Damian Mann Jul 24, 2022 12:15 AM A A Business owners urged Medford City Council to continue a pilot project that placed an officer on the streets downtown Alba Park in downtown Medford. Business owners pleaded with Medford City Council Thursday to continue a pilot police patrol project that made downtown safer. “The impact has been great for all of our downtown businesses and merchants,” said Annie Jenkins, interim director of Downtown Medford Association. “I feel safer walking.” Jenkins said she has endured abusive behavior in the past. “I’ve been spit on or spit near,” she said. Her association conducted a survey of merchants, 83% of whom indicated they had noticed an improvement in the core downtown area during the pilot project. Earlier this year the council approved spending $33,320.16 to have a dedicated officer patrol the downtown for 36 hours a week from May 2 through July 2. The pilot project expanded the scope of the existing police Livability Team, which has been clearing homeless camps off the Bear Creek Greenway. The officer would mostly walk around downtown from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., which Medford police cite as the time when the most calls for service occur. The city has applied for another COPS grants that could reinstate the expanded police presence downtown, but it will be sometime in September before the city finds out whether it will receive the grant. Over the years, downtown merchants have endured harassment, public urination and other bad behavior. “I’ve experienced some really uncomfortable things,” said Catrina Munoz, who owns a bridal shop on Main Street. Once, while Munoz was meeting a client and her mother, a man outside her window pulled down his pants and urinated on the window. “Later, he came back and masturbated in the window,” Munoz said. “In May, the Livability Team came, and I was able to work." Greg Lemhouse, who works with Ayala Properties and KDA Homes, told the council that the pilot project needs to be continued if the city hopes to continue development in the downtown. “You won’t get investment, and you won’t get people to live here if they don’t feel safe,” he said. DJ Graham, deputy chief of operations for Medford Police Department, gave a report to the council indicating the performance of the pilot project. Police issued 106 criminal charges, made 36 warrant arrests, wrote 44 citations, issued 48 exclusion orders from the downtown and gave 164 warnings. He said police handled more calls in the downtown than normal, partially because the businesses were aware of the program. “I think prior to this project they were feeling marginalized,” he said. Downtown Medford Association worked with police to get the word out about the program. “We really promoted how to make a phone call as well to the police department,” Jenkins, with Downtown Medford Association, said. “DJ did a really great job (explaining) about how this is an emergency and this isn’t an emergency.” Councilor Tim D’Alessandro said it was good to hear businesses noticed the impact of the pilot project. “The reality is that perception is a part of this whole issue,” he said. “The perception is they feel safer." Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].