SALEM, Ore. — Public safety and downtown revitalization took center stage this morning as city and county leaders, law enforcement, and business representatives gathered to discuss crime, homelessness, and the allocation of limited resources in Salem’s core.
District Attorney Paige Clarkson underscored the need for a targeted approach, noting that recent studies show concentrated “hot people and hot places” driving much of the city’s violence. Clarkson announced a dedicated prosecutor for downtown Salem, tasked with working closely with law enforcement. She stressed that accountability measures must be evaluated carefully, weighing whether “the juice is worth the squeeze” when prosecuting certain crimes.
Police Chief Trevor Womack outlined immediate, near-term, and long-term strategies for addressing crime and safety downtown. In the short run, he said the department has boosted its presence in downtown and northeast Salem through overtime patrols. He emphasized that these overtime assignments are separate from the city’s two-person Homeless Services Team (HST), which specializes in de-escalation and connecting people with social services rather than defaulting to arrests.
Womack asked for funding to add two more HST officers, which would allow the team to expand its coverage to seven days a week. In the longer term, he warned that Salem’s staffing has not grown since 2008, leaving the department reactive instead of proactive. He said the city needs at least eight additional officers for community policing — four dedicated to downtown and four to northeast Salem — if it wants to get ahead of rising challenges.
Mayor Julie Hoy spoke candidly about the toll of public safety issues in Salem, noting both her own experiences with threats and vandalism and the challenges faced by other business owners across the city. “Every Salem resident deserves to feel safe. We are striving for a clean, safe and healthy Salem,” she said, calling for urgency.
Community Planning and Development Director Kristin Rutherford confirmed that staff will move forward with a proposal to eliminate the parking tax for council consideration in January. On Oct. 13, the City Council will also weigh a budget adjustment covering cleaning services, additional Homeless Services Team officers, and a new community health response model. Of the city’s projected $800,000 revenue surplus, part will be held in contingency for the parking fund, while the rest will go toward cleaning and public safety resources downtown.
Sheriff Nick Hunter highlighted the complexity of drug use, mental illness, and homelessness, cautioning that law enforcement alone cannot solve these crises. Instead, he said the priority is aligning limited resources with the community’s most pressing needs. “We are here to listen to your priorities and do our best to meet them,” he told attendees.
Other voices raised questions about oversight at service providers such as UGM, Arches, and Church at the Park, citing concerns about violence near shelters. Community advocate Derek Gilbert, Board member, urged residents to take action: “If something here upset you or moved you — step up, volunteer, and help make Salem better.”
The meeting closed with an emphasis on continued collaboration. City leaders, law enforcement, and county officials pledged to meet monthly, while a Harvard-Bloomberg initiative is also studying how lessons from downtown can apply to northeast Salem.
With crime prevention, homelessness, and fiscal limits all intersecting, the conversation made clear that there are no easy answers. Still, leaders agreed: doing nothing is not an option.
