Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1998)
id Snowl Rentals Downhli. .*10 per tuv Cross Country ...*7 Snowboard.*20 g? 199 W. 8th Eugene • 484-7344 $25.0GTo(f 7 Any Contiki Tour booked and l_ deposit paid by 3/20/98. j European flonzbiTlour 12 days 8 countries $825.00* •Cheaper, no waiting or lines at the things you want to see!!! RECYCLE Eric Englund Scholarship $2,000 to enable a University of Oregon graduate to pursue graduate studies at the U of O or elsewhere in American literature or history or a related subject. Apply to the English Department by March 31. Environmental Issues in the Middle East Thursday, Feb. 19th 6:30pm EMU Fir Room Resident experts on environmental issues in the Middle East will first address the environmental geography of the region that includes Jordan, the West Bank, Israel, Gaza, and Egypt. Efforts of the environmental movement that has reached across political borders to mend and preserve the region's fragile environment will be highlighted. Following the discussion, a presentation about a unique study abroad experience, Israel at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, will be given by a former student. Earn credit while living and learning with students from Jordan, Israel—both Arab and Jewish, Egypt, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and other students from North America. Common Ground is sponsored by: The Savage Endowment in International Relations, The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, The Jewish Student Union, The Muslim Student Association, Hillel, the Environmental Studies Department, the Survival Center, and the Multicultural Center. Retiring officers raise concerns The two officers said Eugene has become harder to police than it had been in past years By Tricia Duryee Community Reporter Two officers are retiring this month, marking a change in not only the Eugene Police Depart ment, but also bringing to atten tion how police services have adapted to community concerns in the last 25 years. It’s not an early retirement ac cording to standard practice, but for Lt. Ellwood Cushman, the end of the month will be an early departure from his 25 years of service. “If I was asked several years ago, I would have expected to stay five years past eligibility,” said Cushman. Retirement eligibility for the Eugene Police Department nor mally comes after 25 years of ser vice or at the age of 50. Sgt. Dave Poppe has served the campus Oregon Public Safety di vision for the past three years and said it was time for him to take advantage of his retirement. “I’ve been on for almost 27 years,” he said, "and I want to take advantage of that.” But for Cushman and Poppe, retirement doesn’t come with an easy mind. They have noticed that over their years with the force, the community has be come harder to police than in past years. “Yes, it would be hard not to agree with the chiefs comments about Eugene being a difficult place to police,” said Poppe. "[The comments] were accurate. Some people have an unrealistic expectation on what the use of force really means. We can’t af ford to have officers injured.” Eugene Chief of Police Leonard Cooke addressed the city’s polic ing needs before the Eugene City Club earlier this year. Cushman announced his plans to retire at the chiefs forum meeting early this month. He said that he has enjoyed the job and that the decision came after much reservation. “It was a difficult decision,” he said. He added that his departure wasn’t because he was complete ly frustrated with the system. However, his decision to leave was, in part, sped up by the after math of the June 1 incident. The incident sparked controversy re garding the department’s con duct after police pepper-sprayed protesters who opposed the cut ting down of trees. Cushman found the backlash against the police offending. “We know that we are account able for everything that we do, that is not the issue,” Cushman said. He said because of the June 1 incident, the police department is being brought to court under criminal charges, which Cush man said occurs in rare circum stances. “It is a really irregular thing,” Cushman said. “It doesn’t feel too good.” Cushman, who was in a sup porting, not commanding, role during the June 1 incident, be lieves that the department is coming under such scrutiny be cause of the level of activism in the community. "The city reacts to groups — and I'm not saying that they should be ignored — but we are operating under the squeaky wheel syndrome,” he said. Cushman said the police de partment instead needs to re spond to the community as a whole, even though everyone’s opinion matters. He said a di verse group should be targeted, not just those that are particular ly vocal. Poppe finds this an issue, too. “A lot of problems have been a part of the controversial environ ment that we live in," he said. “Some ac tivists believe they can break the law and blame estab lishment for the conse quences. There is a price to pay for civil disobedience.” However, I had no idea I was going into police work. 1 thought I’d try it for a year; and now I feel like that year is ending. ^ Sgt. Dave Poppe Eugene Police Department Poppe, who works with the Uni versity community, isn’t as in volved as Cushman in the city at large. He has more frustrations with some of the students and younger community members. “During the last three years at the University, I’ve dealt with the chronic problem of young, intox icated people,” he said. “It is im possible to make a very big differ ence.” Poppe, who graduated from the University in 1971, said the problems are not new, but they are on the rise. “Thirty years ago, as a student, many of the same problems were present then,” he said, “but now they are more bothersome.” He said the students have a more “in-your-face attitude” that is magnified when they are drunk or high. He finds that this makes the students more de manding or belligerent, which is a concern because this usually precedes illegal activities. “No matter what [the students] are doing, they say, ‘I have rights and mine are more important than yours, I can be as loud as I want,”’ Poppe said. Even though both Poppe and Cushman are noticing a change in the community, Cushman said his decision to retire wasn’t be cause of the lack of support. However, Cushman is critical of both positive and negative analysis from the public. “I don’t think it’s healthy criti cism. [It’s criticism] without facts, just as I feel it is blind sup port without knowing what hap pened,” he said. When his retirement came up in September, he asked himself if this was the environment in which he wanted to work. “Do I want to continue being subject to that kind of thing in the future?” asked Cushman. “It’s not worth it.” If anything, police spokes woman Jan Power said, Cushman is too committed to his work. “He probably cares too much,” she said. In order to work around these types of feelings, Poppe said he tries to focus on the positive. “Some people think I’m crazy when I say focus on the posi tive,” he said. “If I focus on the worst hours — midnight on Fri day and Saturday nights — I can get depressed.” Cushman said he believes the police department is on a posi tive path, and with a focus on community policing, the issues can be resolved. He said it is hard, in general, to interact with the community if officers only come in contact with people when thev are ei ther, “enforc ing the law or dealing with victims, which most of the time is stressful and not con ducive to dis cussion.” He also said it is difficult to make the switch to com mumty policing because it takes more personnel and money. But Cushman said he believes it is still possible. “It’s a philosophy, and there are still things that we can do.” Cushman is hopeful that com munity policing efforts will en tail preventative measures. “It’s more than a program, it’s a way of doing business more effective ly by getting to know [the com munity members], instead of re acting to them,” he said. Poppe also said he thought community policing would send Eugene in the right direction. “Community policing is a posi tive move,” however, “it is not a panacea — it won’t change the problem.” What Poppe did think would work would be for friends to be responsible for friends. “Peer pressure can reduce the belliger ence,” he said. Although Cushman and Poppe don’t have definite post-retire ment plans, they hope they will have more time to do the things they haven’t had time for in the past. For Poppe that includes teaching and outdoor projects. Poppe said the last thing he wants is to leave the job on a neg ative note. "It’s been a good job; most ot the people have been wonderful,” he said. “When I graduated in ‘71,1 had no idea I was going into police work. I thought I'd try it for a year, and now I feel like that year is just ending." During Cushman’s time with the force, he was responsible for developing and implementing both a K-9 unit and a civilian re serve program. Power credited Cushman with always being a part of investigat ing and selecting new systems and methods for doing things. “He has outstanding accomplish ments,” she said. The Oregon Daify Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald op erates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. NEWSROOM — ttfcSSIl Editor in chief: Sarah Kickler Managing Editor Nicole Krueger Community: Michael Burnham, editor. Tricia Dury ee. Jesse Sowa Entertainment: Evan Denbaum, editor Shannon Sneed Higher Education: Laura Cadiz, editor Nicole Kristal, Teri Meeuwsen, Kari Thorene In-depth: Ashley Bach Perspective: Michael Schmierbach, editor Chris Hutchinson, illustrator. Jonas Allen, Kameron Cole, Hannah Dillon. Jett Shaw, columnists. Student Activities: Doug Irving, editor. Michael Hines, Chris Kenning, Kristina Rudinskas Sports: Ryan Frank, editor Chris Hansen, asst, edi tor. Joel Hood, Rob Moseley. Alex Pond Copy Desk: Holly Sanders, copy chief. Tammy Salman, Kelly Schulze. Shannon Sneed News Art Matt Garton, editor. Pamela Sirianni Cara Strazzo Photography: Amanda Cowan. Wendy Fuller, Rose Fung, Laura Goss, Nick Medley, Kristen Sullivan Freelance: Cart Yeh On-line: Nicholas Stitfler _ADVERTISING — WU7P_ Becky Merchant, director. Yujin Chi, Leigh-Ann Cy boron, Brian Diamond, Chris Erickson, Lindsay Knaak, Andy Lakefish, Justice Rhodes, Erick Schiess, Rose Soil, Chris Suydam, Emily Wallace. CLASSIFIEDS — V&4W_ Anne Amador, manager. Heather Moye, Danielle Ing, Kate Lamb _BUSINESS — _ General Manager: Judy Riedl Business: Kathy Carbone, business supervisor. Judy Connolly, receptionist. Distribution: John Long, Joy Sears, Dave Ovall PRODUCTION — vifUasi Michele Ross, manager. Tara Sloan, coordinator Shawna Afiele, Joselyn Bickford, Laura Daniel. Susan Head, Leah Lekas, Laura Lucas, Leanne Nelms, Brandt Nelson, Broc Nelson, Katie Nesse, Sylvia Tewes