Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner wants the community to know emergency responders are ready to serve and are not going anywhere during this time of uncertainty.
911 dispatchers and police officers are first responders so the department took extra measures early on to protect them from Coronavirus. He says EPD is balancing the impact on jails while holding people accountable for bad behavior.
Skinner asks people to be good citizens because conflict adds burden to the criminal justice system.
He also says the criminal element is lying in wait to take advantage of this crisis. However, Skinner says, they’ve shifted officers so the department is better staffed than ever.
“So you can have a sense of comfort in knowing that we are trying to pay attention to the things that look a little off in your neighborhoods. And we are tasked with being able to stand in between victimization and the perpetration of that crime.”
Skinner encourages community members to call so the police can help and keep track of crime data. He assures the community, no matter what happens, police response will not change.
