• print
• Share | e-mail Facebook Tweet Digg StumbleUpon Delicious Google Yahoo Buzz

Bend police department adds downtown patrol

New officer will add to patrols in central Bend

By Anna Sowa / The Bulletin

Published: June 15. 2006 4:00AM PST

Downtown Bend merchants worried about the effect of miscreants on business are finally getting what they've wanted: a dedicated police presence downtown.

The Bend Police Department has assigned officer Mike Hatoor to patrol the area on foot and bicycle four days a week, Police Chief Andy Jordan told the Bend Downtowners Association on Wednesday. The assignment marks an about-face for Jordan, who previously said the department didn't have the money to dedicate a cop to downtown.

But Jordan said the number of security-related incidents there warranted an officer.

"We've looked into our priorities, which we are constantly adjusting depending on the number of (incident) calls we get, and we now believe that putting this person down there is something that we should do," Jordan said. "It could be that six months from now, we decide we don't need that much of a presence down there. Right now, we believe we do."

Merchants have complained about graffiti, overturned flower pots, littering, obnoxious drunks, public urination and defecation and intimidating characters - all of which they fear could hurt downtown's image and success and deter customers.

Hatoor will complement a larger police presence for central Bend that already exists. The Police Department recently created a patrol district that includes downtown, the Mirror Pond area, Drake Park and the nearby neighborhood. The district has two officers who work 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., Jordan said. With Hatoor, there could be as many as three police officers patrolling the downtown area, Jordan said.

Hatoor, who began patrolling June 1, will work Thursday through Saturday and every other Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

Downtown has been a source of security complaints since Jordan joined the department in 1981, he said.

"We will always have petty crime," Jordan said. "But if we have a greater presence, we hope to keep that down. But don't expect that this will fix everything."

In 2005, Jordan reported that police were involved in 4,402 incidents downtown, including traffic stops, alarms, thefts and civil disputes.

Jordan said Hatoor will spend the beginning of his shift discussing security issues with business owners, then patrol the streets. He will focus on the downtown core and park area, Jordan said.

Johna Mellon, manager at Roberts on Wall Street, hasn't had a security problem but supports the downtown patrols.

"I like to think they have a handle on it," Mellon said.

David Cookson, a downtown property owner who lives in San Francisco, said the worst problem for his Wall Street Plaza building has been one broken window.

"I think this is a good idea," Cookson said of the patrol. "I'm from San Francisco, and I know what a mess downtown could be if they don't keep it safe."

The Bend Downtowners Association has been working with the Police Department for months to address security complaints from downtown business and property owners.

In March, the department proposed downtown security cameras to deter crime and catch wrong-doers but later decided they'd have little effect. The cameras would have been funded, in part, by downtown property owners through a special tax assessment.

Now that the city is paying for police patrols, the downtowners association is using the security portion of its tax assessment for cleaning graffiti and addressing other vandalism.

Silverado Jewelry Gallery owner Heather Hanst questioned the accessibility of a police officer downtown.

"I want to know that if I need him, is he quicker to respond than a patrol officer (in a car)," Hanst said. "I think the park is more of a concern. Nobody feels unsafe at Wall Street."

Hanst said she hasn't had problems with security at her business on Wall and Oregon streets but is pleased the department is assigning more officers to the area.

"I think people need to start taking responsibility for their safety by walking to their cars with a buddy or asking each other for help," Hanst said. "We all need to join together and help each other."

Anna Sowa can be reached at 383-0304 or at asowa@bendbulletin.com.

• print
• Share | e-mail Facebook Tweet Digg StumbleUpon Delicious Google Yahoo Buzz