Police visit neighbors rocked by violence

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Medford Police officers survey Reid Brumble, 60, to learn more about crimes on Beatty Street.Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch

November 05, 2009

By Chris Conrad

Mail Tribune

MEDFORD — Police and city officials reached out to residents of the Liberty Park neighborhood in west Medford on Wednesday, nearly a month after a Central Point man was murdered on a nearby street.

About 20 uniformed officers took to the neighborhood with surveys in hand in an effort to listen to questions and concerns regarding livability in the area, nestled between North Riverside and North Central avenues just south of the Rogue Valley Mall.

Medford police Chief Randy Schoen briefed the officers minutes before they were dispatched to the neighborhood. He reminded them that this was not meant to be a crime sweep for people with arrest warrants.

"This is a chance for us to learn from the citizens," Schoen said.

Liberty Park has reputation as a high-crime area, but data collected by Medford police technicians recently found that calls for service are no higher than many other neighborhoods, Schoen said.

Nevertheless, the officers spent three hours knocking on doors and going over the survey with Liberty Park residents.

The officers were paired with code enforcement and public works officials, who were on the lookout for blight and substandard housing issues.

"We want you to make notes of street lights that are out, pot holes, garbage that hasn't been picked up," Medford police Deputy Chief Tim George said. "These are things that affect livability."

Sgt. Kevin Walruff was assigned to the 500 block of Beatty Street, where he was ordered to collect four surveys before moving on to another area.

Reid Brumble, 60, has lived on Beatty Street for 12 years and had little to complain about.

"Other than the murder that happened there's only been a couple of fires," Brumble said. "It's mostly quiet around here."

Brumble's only criticism was a small trench dug by city workers that tripped a woman, causing a sprained ankle.

Overall, Brumble rated the neighborhood "relatively safe" on the survey.

Not everyone was excited to see the officers. As they approached one home, the owner abruptly shut the door and switched off the lights.

"We get this reaction sometimes," Walruff said, laughing. "We're used to it."

A 35-year-old man, who lives just down the street from where Marco Antonio Diaz died during what police say is a gang-related brawl on Sept. 15, described Liberty Park as "not the greatest neighborhood in the world" and rated it "somewhat unsafe" on the survey.

Others who were approached by the officers said speeding is a problem and that the area needs more stop signs to keep children safe.

Additional complaints included cars parked the wrong direction along the street and abandoned furniture that sits beside the road for months.

"What we're hearing has been mostly positive, but there is always room for improvement in any neighborhood," Walruff said.

In all, the officers were told to make contact with approximately 50 percent of homes in the area, about 101 out of 202 total residences.

After filling out the survey, residents were given a packet of information on joining the city's neighborhood watch program and contact numbers of various social services.

Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471; or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.

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