On Tuesday, the Ashland City Council approved a first reading for a new Enhanced Law Enforcement Area (ELEA) located along Ashland Street towards Interstate 5. People convicted of three or more crimes within its border, ranging from drinking in public to littering, can be banned from the area for up to a year.
At the meeting, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara said the city鈥檚 downtown ELEA, created in 2012, has been successful in halting an increase in offenses. Now his department is looking to replicate its success.
鈥淚 believe that the south side of Ashland needs all the love and care and curb appeal it can get. When I look at what's in front of us, I wish it would have been implemented a long time ago,鈥� said City Council member Gina DuQuenne, who voted in favor of the ordinance.
Counselor Jeff Dahle said the law was needed to stop an uptick in criminal behavior in that area.
鈥淭he fact of the matter is that this area of Ashland, for quite some time, has seen a disproportionate increase in behavior that is not conducive to a healthy community and the responsible thing to do is take some active action to mitigate this trend,鈥� said Dahle.
Last year, there were 105 violations in Ashland鈥檚 downtown ELEA which led to nine expulsions, according to police. Repeat offenders banned from an ELEA can still enter the area for basic services like medical care. And illegal camping is not included in the list of crimes that can lead to an exclusion.
Still, those speaking during the meeting鈥檚 public comment period worried the law could be used to target the homeless or push criminal behavior into neighboring communities.
Ashland isn鈥檛 the first city in Oregon to experiment with banning residents from public areas.
The City of Medford鈥檚 located downtown only requires one offense from a list of crimes for a ban of 90 days. The Medford City Council voted in favor of more than doubling that zone鈥檚 size in September. In 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon , which allowed the banishing of someone before they were convicted.
A final reading of Ashland鈥檚 expanded Enhanced Law Enforcement Area will take place on Dec. 17. If approved, the law will go into effect 30 days later.
