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By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune November 07. 2014 6:04PM Medford police plan survey in Union Park neighborhood The Medford Police Department's Operation C.A.R.E. program is turning its attention to a westside neighborhood with a history of crime and infrastructure problems. During a presentation on community relations at a Medford City Council work session Thursday night, Medford police Chief Tim George said the department's next door-to-door outreach survey will next be administered in the Union Park area on Nov. 19. The blocks around the park, located at the south end of Union Avenue between Plum Street and Hamilton Street, have seen their share of problems in recent years, ranging from drug dealing to vandalism.  In 2013, the neighborhood was the site of three drive-by shootings and two stabbings. Later that year, the city received a $162,000 grant from the Housing and Urban Development to install new playground equipment, lighting and pathway improvements in the park. The last Operation C.A.R.E. was held in April between Oakdale and South Holly Street. The event, whose name stands for Community Awareness Rejuvenation Effort, was first held in 2009. The Union Park event will be the 11th. "We select a neighborhood of approximately 175 residents," George said. Police, community service officers and city officials go door-to-door, asking residents questions ranging from the general quality of life in the neighborhood to whether they know of anyone in need of substance abuse treatment. George said police immediately follow up complaints about streets, lighting and infrastructure with the relevant city departments. The survey forms themselves are mailed out a week in advance. George  said the department has been hitting its goal of 70 percent of applications completed or returned for the past several years. George said officers have discovered a number of unreported emergencies while conducting the surveys, ranging from a sex offense to a blind man living in a house with a dangerously deteriorated electrical system. One mentally ill teenager was discovered to have been home-bound for more than a year. While most survey takers said they weren't aware of any crime to report to police, 8 percent knew of a crime they hadn't yet reported. The overall results from recent surveys haven't been terrible, George said: Fifty-nine percent of survey takers thought their neighborhoods were relatively safe, and 50 percent thought crime rates had more or less stayed the same. Deputy Chief Brett Johnson said the department has been primarily focusing on neighborhoods that have been historically overlooked, but will likely keep conducting the outreach projects until they've covered the whole city. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141107/NEWS/141109698 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->