Deputies are not patrolling Lane County 24-7 this summer-- that's because of several retirements. The Sheriff says it's hard to respond to emergencies throughout the vast county… even with full-time patrols.
That's because at any given time there might only be a few deputies on the roads. Sergeant Carrie Carver is Public Information Officer with the Lane County Sheriff.
Carver: "What happens if you have, you know, one emergency occurring maybe right outside of Florence and another one occurring right outside of Oakridge and you have 3 deputies? How do you make that work to provide the best possible service to people? Ideally we'd like to respond to all calls, big or small, no matter what they are so people have a deputy response and we're not really there yet."
Lane County voters last year approved a levy to fund jail beds only. The county was able to pay for full time patrols with road funds. But because of recent retirements, there's only enough staff currently to patrol 20 hours a day. Carver says the Sheriff hopes to have a few new deputies trained and on staff this fall and restore 24 hour coverage.
Sheriff Tom Turner in a Sunday editorial called for more logging to fund public safety long term.