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Josephine County transit operator contracts overnight patrols after vandalism and theft
Summary
County transit staff said they contracted a private security firm to patrol the downtown transit hub overnight after repeated vandalism and theft at the bike-repair station; the service is budgeted at $3,000 per month and is being paid from transit-specific funds, not the county general fund.
Josephine County transit staff told commissioners on Sept. 9 that the county has entered an after‑the‑fact, month‑to‑month agreement with Concierge Security to conduct overnight patrols at the downtown transit hub after incidents of graffiti, tool theft and fence damage.
Chancey, a county transit staff member who briefed the board, said the patrols cover the overnight hours between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., with an hourly walkthrough when the security officer is present. “It’s $3,000 a month for this for this amount of activity,” Chancey said on the record. He described the patrol approach as a visible deterrent: officers park in front of the building, turn lights on and walk the facility.
Staff described recent incidents that prompted the contract: graffiti on sidewalks and structures, theft of tools from a donated bike-repair station and damage to a back fence. Chancey said cameras and lighting are in place at the hub but that the incidents rose when staff were not present. “Our first employee gets there at 05:30 in the morning. So we have pretty much coverage from 05:30 to 7PM at night. It’s just those hours in between,” he said.
Funding and authorization
Transit staff emphasized the contract is paid from transit-specific operating dollars, not the county general fund, and that staff had authority to sign under existing signing limits. Commissioners did not object after staff explained the timeframe and the month‑to‑month nature of the agreement. Commissioner Smith confirmed last‑week authorization by staff and indicated no board-level objection was raised at the workshop.
Next steps
Chancey said the county will continue daily incident reporting from the contractor; if contacts and incidents decline, staff will consider scaling back the security presence. The patrol arrangement is on a month‑to‑month basis and will be monitored by transit staff for cost and effectiveness.
Ending: The board accepted the after‑the‑fact contract without a formal roll‑call vote, and staff will continue to brief the board if patrols are extended or expanded.
