Small Oregon town: 'We need a cop'
CULVER, Ore. (AP) - In a community survey asking Culver residents what the most important issue facing their town is, the majority of residents responding were clear. Written in large letters and underlined, one person summed it up: "We need a cop in town."
Culver, with a population of about 1,335, is the kind of place where the city recorder not only takes notes at City Council meetings but also sweeps the floors of City Hall. At the Culver Market, customers can rent videos, buy pizza and pick up a fishing permit. And on the City Council's to-do list: putting sidewalks in the downtown corridor and improving the baseball field.
For years, Culver, a valley community southwest of Madras and surrounded by fields, has been a one-cop town. Community members like knowing who is patrolling their streets. The one cop would hand out bike helmets to children and stop neighbors' dogs from barking.
But last year, the city's sole cop, Culver Police Chief Kecia Powell, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury, and she eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree misconduct for using the city's credit card to pay a personal cell phone bill.
The city disbanded the police force, and residents braced themselves for an increase in petty crimes from vandalism to theft.
Citizens said they noticed more broken windows and people younger than 18 staying out past the town's 10 p.m. curfew.
At the time, they took comfort knowing Jefferson County Sheriff Jack Jones lived in Culver. Jones made an effort to drive past the schools on his way to work and would hit different spots in town on his way home. Since then, Jones has resigned after he pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree misconduct. The Oregon Department of Justice said Jones detained four people without lawful authority.
The community survey, distributed by the Culver City Council, showed the majority of respondents wanted more protection. Culver Mayor Shawna Clanton says it's one of the city's top priorities to establish more of a law enforcement presence in the community. With a general fund budget that's little more than $500,000, though, she's not sure if the city can afford to establish a police department.
Right now, the Jefferson County sheriff's office and Oregon State Police respond to Culver on an on-call basis. Clanton said the city is considering an agreement to pay the sheriff's office about $1,500 a month for a certain number of hours of enhanced patrol.
"Because we're smaller, everybody knows what goes on so they are concerned for kids and the safety of their kids, and they like to see a police officer around town," Clanton said. "It's a quality of life issue is what it is."
However, not every resident believes more police presence is necessary.
On a recent Thursday afternoon, Micah Bodenlos, born and raised in Culver, jumped out of his white Ford F-250 pickup and went inside the Culver Market. He left the keys in his truck, and his vehicle, with a gun in the rack of the rear window, running. A few minutes later, he came out of the store with some Coca-Cola.
"We don't need a cop," the 34-year-old said. "When we have one ... there seems to be more problems."
But when Chuck Chambers had to break up a fight between a man and a woman in the middle of the street a couple of months ago, he would have liked to have a cop nearby. He said it took about 20 minutes for someone from the sheriff's office to show up, and he was worried about what would have happened if it took any longer. The 47-year-old, who was eating lunch at the Bad Monkey Pub and Grub in downtown Culver, said the couple had been drinking, and it was difficult to separate them.
"Calling a local cop would have been simpler and quicker," Chambers said.
When Sal Nagi, who has owned the Culver Market for a year, was asked if he had a problem with shoplifting, he answered, "Lord have mercy." He said the middle school students slip condoms into their backpacks. Unlike what happened to the previous owner, however, no one has burglarized his store.
"Not yet anyway," he said.
Jerry Gotcher, co-owner of the Hometown Cafe, said Culver gets a lot busier in the summer. It's on the way to Lake Billy Chinook, and he said people zoom past his restaurant in their cars, going a lot faster than they should be.
"The community needs a police officer," Gotcher said. "The crime rate is higher than what people are talking about."
Crook County High School Principal Vince Swagerty said that although the sheriff's office has been helpful, sending a deputy during homecoming, it would be nice to have someone in town. Swagerty said the district called the sheriff's office after a student stole a cell phone and most frequently when students are chewing tobacco.
Interim Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said he hopes he can work out a deal in which the city contracts with the sheriff's office to have a regular deputy and a reserve deputy share patrol duties for about 30 hours a month. A deputy would definitely be in the town right before and after school hours and when the city park closes at 10 p.m., he said.
The number of calls to the Culver area hasn't fluctuated much this year over last, according to information from the sheriff's office. For November and December 2009, dispatch received 80 calls from Culver residents. For the same months in 2008, the number was 75.
Adkins is interviewing applicants for a deputy position, and he's hoping the new hire will live in Culver. He does already have a deputy who lives in Culver, and, he said, having residents see even a parked patrol car in a driveway makes a difference.
"When you get off duty and you drive through the area, you have a presence," Adkins said. "And that affects people."
Culver, with a population of about 1,335, is the kind of place where the city recorder not only takes notes at City Council meetings but also sweeps the floors of City Hall. At the Culver Market, customers can rent videos, buy pizza and pick up a fishing permit. And on the City Council's to-do list: putting sidewalks in the downtown corridor and improving the baseball field.
For years, Culver, a valley community southwest of Madras and surrounded by fields, has been a one-cop town. Community members like knowing who is patrolling their streets. The one cop would hand out bike helmets to children and stop neighbors' dogs from barking.
But last year, the city's sole cop, Culver Police Chief Kecia Powell, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury, and she eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree misconduct for using the city's credit card to pay a personal cell phone bill.
The city disbanded the police force, and residents braced themselves for an increase in petty crimes from vandalism to theft.
Citizens said they noticed more broken windows and people younger than 18 staying out past the town's 10 p.m. curfew.
At the time, they took comfort knowing Jefferson County Sheriff Jack Jones lived in Culver. Jones made an effort to drive past the schools on his way to work and would hit different spots in town on his way home. Since then, Jones has resigned after he pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree misconduct. The Oregon Department of Justice said Jones detained four people without lawful authority.
The community survey, distributed by the Culver City Council, showed the majority of respondents wanted more protection. Culver Mayor Shawna Clanton says it's one of the city's top priorities to establish more of a law enforcement presence in the community. With a general fund budget that's little more than $500,000, though, she's not sure if the city can afford to establish a police department.
Right now, the Jefferson County sheriff's office and Oregon State Police respond to Culver on an on-call basis. Clanton said the city is considering an agreement to pay the sheriff's office about $1,500 a month for a certain number of hours of enhanced patrol.
"Because we're smaller, everybody knows what goes on so they are concerned for kids and the safety of their kids, and they like to see a police officer around town," Clanton said. "It's a quality of life issue is what it is."
However, not every resident believes more police presence is necessary.
On a recent Thursday afternoon, Micah Bodenlos, born and raised in Culver, jumped out of his white Ford F-250 pickup and went inside the Culver Market. He left the keys in his truck, and his vehicle, with a gun in the rack of the rear window, running. A few minutes later, he came out of the store with some Coca-Cola.
"We don't need a cop," the 34-year-old said. "When we have one ... there seems to be more problems."
But when Chuck Chambers had to break up a fight between a man and a woman in the middle of the street a couple of months ago, he would have liked to have a cop nearby. He said it took about 20 minutes for someone from the sheriff's office to show up, and he was worried about what would have happened if it took any longer. The 47-year-old, who was eating lunch at the Bad Monkey Pub and Grub in downtown Culver, said the couple had been drinking, and it was difficult to separate them.
"Calling a local cop would have been simpler and quicker," Chambers said.
When Sal Nagi, who has owned the Culver Market for a year, was asked if he had a problem with shoplifting, he answered, "Lord have mercy." He said the middle school students slip condoms into their backpacks. Unlike what happened to the previous owner, however, no one has burglarized his store.
"Not yet anyway," he said.
Jerry Gotcher, co-owner of the Hometown Cafe, said Culver gets a lot busier in the summer. It's on the way to Lake Billy Chinook, and he said people zoom past his restaurant in their cars, going a lot faster than they should be.
"The community needs a police officer," Gotcher said. "The crime rate is higher than what people are talking about."
Crook County High School Principal Vince Swagerty said that although the sheriff's office has been helpful, sending a deputy during homecoming, it would be nice to have someone in town. Swagerty said the district called the sheriff's office after a student stole a cell phone and most frequently when students are chewing tobacco.
Interim Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said he hopes he can work out a deal in which the city contracts with the sheriff's office to have a regular deputy and a reserve deputy share patrol duties for about 30 hours a month. A deputy would definitely be in the town right before and after school hours and when the city park closes at 10 p.m., he said.
The number of calls to the Culver area hasn't fluctuated much this year over last, according to information from the sheriff's office. For November and December 2009, dispatch received 80 calls from Culver residents. For the same months in 2008, the number was 75.
Adkins is interviewing applicants for a deputy position, and he's hoping the new hire will live in Culver. He does already have a deputy who lives in Culver, and, he said, having residents see even a parked patrol car in a driveway makes a difference.
"When you get off duty and you drive through the area, you have a presence," Adkins said. "And that affects people."