TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Krishna Namburi, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Improving safety and livability in high response areas: downtown and northeast Salem
Ward(s): 1, 2, and 5
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): CANDO, ELNA, NESCA, NOLA, Northgate, SCAN, WSNA
Result Area(s): Safe and Healthy Community, Strong and Diverse Economy, and Welcoming and Livable Community.
end
SUMMARY:
summary
This report outlines feedback from City Council Work Session on July 21, 2025, and two business engagement meetings held in downtown and in northeast Salem regarding an actionable strategy for safety and livability in downtown and northeast Salem. These two areas of Salem experience higher volumes of requests for police support and emergency medical response.
end
ISSUE:
Information only.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
At the June 9, 2025, City Council meeting, Interim City Manager Namburi indicated that staff would provide a report on options to enhance safety in the downtown. At the June 23 meeting and subsequent July 21 Work Session, staff provided an update on continued engagement with businesses and residents, and shared updates on current community-led and City-supported activities to improve safety and livability in two areas of Salem experiencing higher volumes of requests for police support and emergency medical response: downtown and northeast Salem.
“Safety and livability” in the context of this report, includes not only preventing crimes, but also fostering a welcoming and vibrant city, where all feel safe, and where local businesses can thrive. Our response takes into account both the need for support in managing crime (property, theft, and violence) and the needs of individuals in the area.
Safety and Livability at July 21, 2025 Work Session
At July 21, 2025 Work Session, staff shared the City’s current approach to addressing safety and livability concerns within the high response areas, challenges the City faces in addressing these issues - including City budget constraints, State law changes, and limited capacity of available services and facilities - and community engagement for a broad, inclusive conversation around safety and livability solutions.
The Work Session was focused on a proposal for an actionable strategy including immediate, short-term, and longer-term options for City action and possibilities for future funding to support safety and livability in downtown and northeast Salem:
• Immediately, staff enhanced Police visibility in both downtown and in Northeast Salem by allocating additional overtime assignments, funded by salary savings, under the direction of a dedicated Sergeant.
• In the short-term, staff are preparing proposals for a September 15 Work Session, with a budget update, discussion of funding strategies and the fiscal impact for two strategies that could appear in a mid-FY Budget adjustment for:
o Funding two additional Homeless Services Team (HST) Police officers in a mid-FY26 Budget adjustment to expand coverage to seven days per week.
o Piloting Salem Fire Department Community Health - Co-response model that would deploy integrated teams consisting of a paramedic, EMT-basic, and mental health clinician to incidents involving emotional disturbance, overdoses, and other health emergencies while also conducting proactive outreach to prevent emergencies before they occur.
• In longer-term, for FY27, the actionable strategy will look at:
o Funding eight additional Police officer positions in FY27 to restore a dedicated downtown bicycle team to address issues before they escalate and work closely with business owners, service providers, and city departments to resolve underlying issues.
o Restoring Salem Outreach and Livability Services (SOS) funding before September 2026.
Possible funding resources may include: (1) possible additional revenue to support additional safety and cleanliness services in downtown from Transition to Paid On-Street Parking; (2) later, in January, more information on transition to City-provided EMS; (3) possible Urban Renewal district closures return resources to General Fund; and (4) continued efforts to secure Capitol District funding from the State of Oregon.
Feedback on Safety and Livability Actionable Strategy
As part of the City Council’s Work Session conversation, City Council confirmed the broad goal to prevent crime and foster welcoming and vibrant community and recognized limitations on the City’s ability to manage the safety and livability impacts businesses, property owners, and residents experience in these two high response areas. While staff continue to build a broader coalition of support for a holistic, comprehensive solution, City Council expressed interest in further exploring:
• co-response pilot behavioral health with medical support
• expansion of Police presence, specifically Homeless Services Team, in co-response with qualified mental health professional
• improving cleanliness and sustaining SOS team
• funding models including collaboration with Marion County
Other ideas discussed as part of the Work Session included, which staff will continue to develop in advance of the September 15, 2025 Work Session:
• Engaging businesses, through an ambassador program;
o Ambassador programs in other communities are typically partnerships to help keep business districts welcoming, clean, and safe. Frequently, they are paid for and/or managed by a downtown business improvement district or business association.
• Identifying specific targeted strategy around reducing drug distribution;
o In Salem, we continue to proactively conduct drug investigations, focusing on low and high-level drug distribution operations, as well as drug activity complaints which impact community livability. This is accomplished through two dedicated teams within Salem Police Department: Strategic Investigations Unit and our Drug Enforcement Unit.
o Drug Enforcement Unit is comprised of 1 full time detective and 1 part-time sergeant. This team is part of the local Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) task force, which is supported by our local Oregon-Idaho HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) office. This longstanding partnership with the DEA focuses on high-level illegal narcotics trafficking and leverages the resources of that federal agency. The DEA task force continues to make significant arrests and seizures of contraband in our region. We are the only local law enforcement agency with a fulltime dedicated staff member on the task force. Neither the Oregon State Police nor Marion County Sheriff’s Office have assigned fulltime task force members. Task force membership also results in significant asset forfeiture funds, which can be used for police equipment but not staffing.
o Strategic Investigations Unit, formerly "street crimes" team, is comprised of six specialized drug and gang detectives led by a sergeant. With the elimination of the downtown bike team, the Strategic Investigations Unit (SIU) and our two Homeless Services Team (HST) officers are the only two teams within the Department that are not assigned to respond to calls for service, like patrol officers. These team proactively build cases. SIU's mission is (1) to investigate violent assaults such as shootings and illegal gun possession cases; and (2) investigate drug crimes, focused on the delivery of drugs (sales) in and around Salem. These often are the same, although at times the drugs and violence aren't related.
• Collaborating with the State of Oregon, counties, community-based organizations, business resource organizations and Neighborhood Associations, and building relationships with residents; and
• Use of data to informing strategies, such as increasing calls for service (may show more trust in capacity to respond).
Business, Resident Engagement
Since the July 21, 2025 Work Session, staff have participated in briefings on July 23 with the Salem Main Street group and on July 30 with a Northeast Salem Business Forum. Summaries of both conversations are attached. In both groups, the majority of those present sought opportunities to work collaboratively with the City on a broader solution. Staff will continue to engage with interest groups, businesses, residents, and community partners in advance of the September 15, 2025 City Council Work Session.
Next Steps
• September 15, 2025 - Council Work Session (Budget and Revenue Update). Staff will present an action plan summarizing Council direction from the July 21 Work Session on funding strategies and fiscal impact. The Work Session focus on proposed mid-term and long-term steps to improve safety and livability. This will be a key opportunity for Council to discuss potential funding strategies to support the Safety and Livability action plan, assess fiscal impact, and consider long-term funding options. Staff are also exploring opportunities to expand cleaning services in high response areas to further improve livability.
• Fall 2025 - Council and Community engagement: City’s Strategic Plan. In October, findings from the statistically valid Community Satisfaction Survey will be available. In November, City Council will hold a Work Session to set the mission, vision, values and goals for next 3 to 5 years for the City and community. In January, City Council will hold a Work Session to consider feedback and adoption of the Strategic Plan.
• January 2026, Council will consider a revised Budget Proposal, reflecting community Safety and Livability priorities.
BACKGROUND:
At the June 9, 2025, City Council meeting, Mayor Julie Hoy indicated she would bring a motion at the June 23, 2025, meeting to direct staff to report on ways to increase police presence in the downtown to improve public safety. On July 21, City Council held a work session to consider comprehensive information concerning public safety and livability in the downtown and reflect on results of additional community engagement and concern for both downtown and northeast Salem.
Courtney Knox Busch
Chief Strategy Officer
Attachments:
1. Feedback from the July 23, 2025, State of Downtown event sponsored and organized by Salem Main Street.
2. Feedback from the July 30, 2025 Northeast Salem Business Forum.