Without police, Cave Junction will rely on security cameras to monitor its streets

(DECEMBER 6, 2019) Cave Junction is a small town in southern Oregon. It has a population of almost 2,000, but it has no police of its own. Instead, it has relied on sheriff's deputies who visit the area -- but only during the day, Monday through Friday.

Citizens of Cave Junction have repeatedly said no to new taxes to fund local police, so the city recently approved the use of cameras and citizen patrols to monitor activity at night. The plan includes installation of eight security cameras on street lights in the city's downtown area. The cameras will be monitored by volunteers from CJ Patrol, a group of local volunteers that promotes security in Cave Junction. City leaders hope this new effort will reduce crime.

Rebecca Patton works for the city of Cave Junction. In a recent interview with Jefferson Public Radio, she said that citizen patrols recognize criminals just by looking at them. “They can identify them by the way that they dress, because they have a certain apparel that they wear all the time, or the way they walk,” she said. “Sometimes they carry things all the time, it could be something as simple as a skateboard. They have learned how to identify these people very, very quickly, then they know how to respond.”

However, some people are worried that this type of law enforcement will lead to profiling and vigilantism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, profiling is "the act of suspecting or targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior." According to Macmillan American dictionary, vigilantism is "attempts by ordinary citizens to catch and punish criminals, without waiting for the police."

The CJ Patrol website says its members patrol the city at night seven days a week "to prevent and interrupt property crime" especially downtown, around vacant homes, and other areas of high crime activity. Their website adds: "We don't do domestic disputes, street brawls, drug enforcement, roust the homeless, traffic control, or involve ourselves in major crimes requiring the presence of law enforcement, although they will be reported. What we are and seek to be is a strong deterrent against residential, business, and personal property crime."

The city has approved the plan, but it is waiting for funding from the county before it installs the cameras.