The pay increases for Medford city workers will keep salaries competitive, with many of them taking effect in July.

Criminal misdemeanors have surged almost 100% in Medford compared to five years ago.

In 2022, 4,004 criminal cases were filed in Medford Municipal Court compared to 2,101 in 2017, partially due to the increased presence of the Medford police Livability Team.

Of the cases in 2022, 1,576 were for trespass, 531 for third-degree theft, 385 for disorderly conduct, 370 for second-degree theft, and the remainder for other misdemeanor crimes.

During the pandemic, the number of violations decreased but ramped up last year partly because Oregon’s stay-in-place order began to lift.

Virginia Greer, who began serving as Municipal Court judge for the city in February, said efforts are underway to better coordinate the efforts of her court with the Livability Team, probation officials and social services organizations. Officers with the Livability Team patrol the downtown and the Bear Creek Greenway.

Greer presented a rundown of the ongoing transformation of the court system to help get offenders off the street and into treatment.

She said an effort is underway to make the Municipal Court more efficient, including undertaking a process to make more information and documents available online.

The court, located on the second floor of Medford City Hall, has deferred sentencing programs for offenders who agree to undergo treatment. First-time offenders can have their records cleared if they undergo court-mandated treatment.

Going forward, Greer said, she’s hoping to make the court respond more rapidly to repeat offenders, who create “quality-of-life” issues for businesses and residents.

The probation program will increase the number of contacts it conducts, particularly to help with the early intervention of younger offenders in the 18 to 25 age group.

More long-term involvement will be required for offenders who impact neighborhoods by making sure they get the wraparound services they need, Greer said.

The eight jail beds assigned for Medford offenders help provide on opportunity to deal with drug-addicted individuals and helps the Livability Team assess the best course of action for them.

“This piece is so critical for making our community justice system work in the city of Medford,” Greer said. “We have phenomenal success stories that have come out of that effort.”

She said one woman who was in the throes of addiction was very hostile when she first came to court.

The woman spent some time in jail, giving the Livability Team and others time to assess her situation, Greer said.

The woman underwent inpatient care through Addictions Recovery Center.

“I recently got to see her graduate from that program,” Greer said.

A young man, who was known for being drunk and disorderly, appeared to have a very childlike demeanor when he appeared in court, Greer said.

He already had worked with service providers, but he walked away from that support, Greer said.

After analyzing his situation, the man was placed under in-house residential care for treatment, she said.

Katie Zerkel, deputy city attorney, said one man who had more than 30 charges against him and numerous failures to appear was held in the jail.

The man was heavily addicted to drugs.

“He made statements that, ‘I don’t care what happens to my life,’” Zerkel said.

The Livability Team went to the jail and identified that he had mental health problems. Once a treatment plan was underway, he was transferred to the urban campground, now known as Rogue Crossings.

His family on the East Coast was contacted, and the family arranged for treatment and housing options, Zerkel said.

“He is now with his family on the East Coast,” she said. When he was leaving the area, he said, ‘Please tell the Livability Team thank you,’” Zerkel said.

Zerkel said there are various misdemeanors that are part of state law regarding fires and safety that could be part of an upcoming code amendment request to Medford City Council.

This would provide different avenues to help deal with certain offenders, she said.