Merkley assembling anti-crime initiative

The Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate says federal money should pay for 500 more police in Oregon

Wednesday, July 02, 2008
JEFF MAPES, The Oregonian Staff

Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Merkley has enlisted the help of John Kroger, all-but-certain to be Oregon's next attorney general, in putting together a $309 million anti-crime package aimed at reversing Bush administration cuts in aid to local law enforcement.

Merkley hopes his crime-fighting proposals will respond to voter concerns about high levels of methamphetamine use and cuts to law enforcement in many Oregon communities -- and give him a leg up in his race against Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.

Merkley's campaign also focused on a series of votes that Smith made against providing additional aid to local law enforcement. The votes were largely on attempts by Democrats to trim President Bush's tax cuts for higher income groups and put the money into such areas as police and fire.

"Smith was giving away the national budget to the most powerful special interests . . . and then underfunding and killing programs that were important to public safety," Merkley charged.

Smith's spokeswoman, Lindsay Gilbride, disputed that characterization, saying that the senator "has a proven track record of fighting to make Oregon safer."

Gilbride -- emphasizing Smith's campaign theme of reaching across party lines -- said that Smith worked with Gov. Ted Kulongoski when the latter was attorney general to revamp Oregon's juvenile justice system. And she said Smith has worked with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to attack the meth epidemic.

Merkley, speaker of the Oregon House, wants the federal government to pay the costs of adding another 50,000 local police officers around the country, as well as additional prosecutors and resources for crime labs. He would also toughen laws against meth traffickers, toughen reporting requirements for sex offenders and expand federal laws against child pornography.

Critics have questioned whether the Clinton administration program to add 100,000 local police did much to help reduce crime rates. They said it actually produced a much lower net increase in officers and that the aid wasn't focused on communities with the largest crime problems.

But Merkley said he thought it was "a pretty good partnership" valued by local law enforcement. He noted that if Oregon received a proportionate share of 50,000 new officers, that would represent more than 500 new cops.

Kroger, a Democrat who also won the Republican nomination on write-in votes, charged that the Bush administration "has not been supportive of basic law enforcement needs, in particular for police forces on the street."

Kroger said the federal aid is particularly needed in many Oregon communities facing the impending end of a program providing federal timber payments to counties.

Posted July 27, 2008
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