Ashland Police Chief Calls for Introduction of Expulsion Zone to South Side of Town

ASHLAND, Ore. — Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara says there is a need to expand and amend the city’s expulsion zone ordinance to decrease negative behavior on the south side of town.

ELEA Decreases Negative Behavior

Addressing a city council meeting earlier this week, O’Meara said an existing expulsion zone in downtown Ashland proved that the Enhanced Law Enforcement Area (ELEA) succeeds in decreasing negative behavior. He said there was now a need to introduce an expulsion zone to the south side of the city.

The Police Chief explained that the ELEA addresses misdemeanors like disruptive behavior. Repeat offenders in the south side of town do not need to answer citations because their actions are violation-level offenses that cannot be heard in the municipal court.

O’Meara told the meeting that since 2017 there have been about 1,000 acts of negative behavior that qualified as violations, resulting in 30 to 40 expulsions in terms of the ELEA Ordinance.

The Police Chief said that the number of complaints about drinking in public places, assault, and rowdiness has declined since the city introduced the expulsion order in the downtown area.

The situation, however, is deteriorating on the south side, illustrated by the recent opening of an Ashland Police Department office in the Tollman Creek Shopping Plaza. O’Meara says the decision to open the office was prompted by the number of fatal drug overdoses committed in the plaza parking lot.

Ordinance Will Solve the Problem of Chronic Negative Behavior

The police chief said certain individuals display a pattern of ‘chronic negative behavior,’ and that one person has already received 13 charges this year. Violations such as drunk driving are not subject to the ELEA Ordinance.

O’Meara pointed out that a drug user could be expelled from the downtown area for ‘cracking one too many 40-ouncers,’ whereas ELEA could do nothing to prevent a repeat offender lessening the quality of life of those around him/her.

The Police Chief described the discrepancy as ‘a large hole’ in the existing expulsion ordinance.

An amendment to the ordinance presented to city councilors enables law enforcement officers to expel offenders from an area instead of leaving the decision to a judge.

South Side Area Earmarked as Expulsion Zone

If the city council agrees to the amendment, the expulsion ordinance will apply to the business corridor along Ashland Street from Siskiyou Boulevard on the west, and beyond Exit 14 on Interstate 5 to the east.

It will include the Ashland Hills Hotel, Jefferson Street, Independent Way, and Clover Lane. Excluded from the expulsion zone would be nearby residential areas and the 2200 St. Emergency housing facility.

After O’Meara’s presentation, Councilor Jeff Dahle said creating an expulsion zone on the south side of town would work, based on the success of the ELEA Ordinance in the downtown area. However, the suggested amendments were ‘a complete rewrite,’ requiring more discussion before reaching a decision, said Dahle.

Councilors Gina DuQuenne and Dylan Bloom, who both live on the south side of town, said they have personally witnessed acts of violence in which homeless people were the victims.

After a heated debate among the councilors, it was finally agreed to amend the existing ELEA Ordinance to include the south side area and to reintroduce the item onto the December 2 city council agenda, and a study session next year on February 3.