Do you know Lane County's murder rate? You might be surprised
EUGENE, Ore. - So how many murders are there in Lane County every year?
"Gosh, you know, I don't even know," Roseanna McArthur said when asked at a north Eugene shopping center. "I can't even guess."
Other responses were similar, ranging from "I have no idea" to "I'm not sure."
It seems a lot of people are unaware of what county's murder rate is. Alex Gardner with the District Attorney's office said there are some who think there is no crime problem. And he said that for many, reports of violence in the county just don't stick.
"I often speak to large groups of people and say, How many of you remember the last time we had a murder in Lane County?" Gardner said. "Fifty, 60 people in the room, and one or two hands will go up."
Folks we spoke to couldn't recall a recent murder or any major crimes.
"I feel safe in Lane County," said Michele Major, when asked outside a post office in Springfield.
"I think that Eugene is actually a rather safe place to live," said Mia Leidelmeyer, who is originally from Beaverton.
But Gardner wants to set the record straight.
"We tend to average 7 to 17 murders, sometimes more, in a year," Gardner said. "It's never one, it's never five."
But even by those standards, it's been a busy few months for jail staff and prosecutors. According to files from the DA, since January, six people have been convicted of murder or manslaughter in the county.
Sixteen others are awaiting trial on murder or attempted murder charges.
"That seems excessive since the beginning of the year," Major said.
Gardner said he hopes those numbers, combined with the outcry over the drive-by slaying of Wendy Whitaker, will result in action.
But the extra support Gardner wants for law enforcement would most likely come from additional taxes. And even when presented with the recent murder numbers, one woman we spoke to said she isn't sure she'd want to pay more.
"I don't know," Denise Boazevich said. "We already pay pretty high taxes where we live."
