Oregon daily emerald., May 23, 1977, Page 5, Image 5

On patrol
It’s a typical night on the campus
beat until a report of a downtown
robbery brings.. .the unexpected
Editor’s note: Emerald feature writer Jock Hatfield
spent four hours of an eventful Friday night on the
streets with Campus Security patrollers. Here he
chronicles what it's like to be on the other side of the
flashing blue lights.
By JOCK HATFIELD
Of the Emerald
It was the Friday night swing shift. Officer Gerry
Green of the Eugene Police Department, one of
three officers assigned to cover campus, was on
duty.
It was an active night. Green had attempted to
stake out a possible drag race on Eighth Avenue,
answer a false alarm at the Hilyard Street Market and
escort ticket money to the EMU all in the space of a
half-hour.
But now as he cruised the streets around and
through campus, it had turned quiet. At each revolu
tion around campus, he took a different route.
“It's a dangerous thing to establish a pattern,” he
explained. The radio on his dashboard crackled
every few minutes. “If someone is lying in wait for
you, you want to give them as little advantage as
possible. There are more of them than us.”
Green, has been involved in several large-scale
crimes since he began his beat last July. He was the
first to report on the scene after a fatal shooting at
Tom s Market. Green is still shocked by the sight of a
dead body, though he has seen at least four in the
course of his campus duties.
“There was one boy who committed suicide. I ex
perienced the initial shock when I first saw him, but I
had so many other things to handle I couldn't experi
ence it fully.” It is the third or fourth night after seeing
the body he says, that he experiences a loss of sleep.
Green was described by the police dispatcher as
"straight — a man who takes his job seriously; but
maybe if you're lucky he'll take you to Taco Time."
On this Friday night, however, Green would have
less time on his hands than usual.
Driving down a street, he acutely observed the
area. He believes well-tuned powers of observation
are essential to police officers.
“Every time we walk up to a car we have a chance
of being killed,'' he said. "People think when we shine
our flashlights in there and look around we re being
nosy. Believe me when you walk up to a car you want
to know who is in there and what they’re doing.”
And then the radio sputtered. An unintelligable
message resonated inside the car.
Green made a quick turnaround. He hit the gas
and sped down Franklin Boulevard at 80 miles per
hour.
A robbery was in progress at the Bon Marche
department store.
Green swerved into the Dunkin’ Doughnut’s park
ing lot and switched off the lights.
"If he heads out Broadway, he’s ours,” he said.
But “he” didn’t head out Broadway Street. Green
moved on into the Skinner’s Butte Park area. Several
patrol cars were already in the area.
"Can you give me an update? What’s going on?”
one officer asked. “Shit, I don’t know,” replied Green.
“Was there a robbery?” the other asked. "Yes, a
good one,” Green answered.
A woman rode by on a bike. “Is there any reason I
shouldn't take the bike path?” she asked, seeing the
police cars. "Well, yes,” Green replied. “We think
there’s an armed robber hiding down by the river.”
Green moved over by the Autzen Stadium bridge
and loaded his rifle. “Keep your eyes open,” he said.
“If the son of a bitch comes through, lie down on the
seat.”
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POLICE
The car's floodlights lit up the bike path and bushes
below the bridge. After nearly 10 minutes, Green
abandoned the vantage point and began driving
down the south side bike path. Steam rose from an
industrial plant on the left as he followed the bike path
through the bushes.
"He could be anywhere along here," he said, peer
ing through the bushes and turning the car’s flood
lights on and off. Suddenly he stopped, turned off the
floodlights and shined a flashlight off into the bushes.
Nothing.
"Suspect is armed with a .22 caliber rifle and a
knife,” the radio announced.
Curious passers-by asked what was going on.
"Have you seen a guy running through here — he
would be running I'm sure,” Green asked them.
“There’s an armed robber loose, I’d advise you to
dear the area."
After robbing the Bon Marche, the suspect had
apparently chased to the river where he ditched both
his car and his money. Green had received reports of
a "rustling in the bushes" and "a real terrified
scream” by the Autzen foot bridge, but nothing had
come of them.
Police were in the process of developing a com
posite drawing of the suspect.
Green, on duty since 8 a.m., headed back to the
Campus Security Office at 11:30 p.m. “Not all shifts
are this active," said Green. “Usually complaints are
from students about stolen property or loud noise.”
The suspect of the Bon Marche robbery is still at
large.
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