Oregon Public Broadcasting

The FBI released preliminary crime data Monday from the first six months of 2007.  The agency found that Eugene is bucking a national and state trend.   Violent crime statistics were up in Eugene 67 percent over the previous year.

Eugene Police Department Chief Robert Lehner says looking at such a short time period can be misleading.  He said violent crime is not the primary concern in Eugene.

Robert Lehner: "If you look at it across cities, or across time, especially with regard to violent crime, Eugene is still an extremely pleasant place to live.  In fact it's a very low for violent crime place to live."

Although Eugene saw a dip in property crime, Lehner says it remains a top priority.  Lehner says drug abuse and an overloaded prison system foster property crime in Eugene and across the state.

Portland and Vancouver saw increases in the rate of property crimes over the previous year. Both cities saw a decrease in violent crime.