For the second time in a month, police on Wednesday scoured the Bear Creek Greenway, using different strategies in trying to minimize the transient population along the popular bike and walking path between Ashland and Central Point.

Jackson County sheriff’s deputies and Medford police said it appears the total number of illegal campsites hidden among blackberry bushes along the 21-mile path has significantly decreased since March 14, when a similar operation involving 12 police agencies shut down about 40 inhabited camps.

Last month’s police sweep was prompted by the reported March 4 rape of a 15-year-old girl by three men at a Medford transient camp along the Greenway.

Wednesday, two dozen sheriff’s deputies worked most of the trail during an early morning sweep that resulted in four arrests of transients who had crossed paths with officers during the March operation, Sheriff Mike Winters said.

"We contacted and photographed them last time," Winters said. "They were given a warning during the first go-round."

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Three people were lodged in the Jackson County Jail on misdemeanor criminal-trespass charges. Two of them, Jason Aaron Grammar, 19, and Erin Star Nelson, 20, were also jailed on drug possession charges. All three were released later in the day because of overcrowding, a jail spokeswoman said. A fourth person, Daniel Lee Babcock, 41, remains in jail without bail after deputies arrested him for a parole violation.

Overall, Winters said Wednesday’s sweep was a success, as deputies located about half the number of inhabited campsites as last month.

"It’s getting better," he said. "We cut it in half from last time, and hope to cut it in half again the next time."

Six Medford police officers on Wednesday conducted a separate sweep of the Greenway section that runs through the city. Officers did not arrest anyone, but issued three citations for trespass, one for prohibited camping and one for offensive littering, police Lt. Mike Moran said. Several transients were interviewed during the three-hour operation.

Officers also advised transients of community services available to them if they were interested in getting off the street.

"We could go out there every day and write tickets," Moran said. "That might provide a short-term benefit, but it’s not a long-term solution. ... A lot of these people need some help."

While prevention and education are components of Medford police’s plan to deal with transients along the Greenway, added enforcement is also on the way. Moran said the city will increase bicycle patrols along the path during spring and summer months.

Joy Olson, executive director of the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation, said she applauds the police effort to make the path a safer place.

"I think (police) have been absolutely wonderful about their commitment to the Greenway," said Olson, who believes the thick blackberry bushes make it convenient for "a criminal element to hide out."

Olson is working with Medford city officials to get approval of a plan to clear out bushes near the intersection of Willamette Avenue and Siskiyou Boulevard. The Greenway Foundation is also finalizing details of a project to clear blackberries from a state-owned section of the path between Interstate 5 and the Rogue Valley Mall, which includes the camp where the teen girl said she was raped last month. Moran said the camp now appears to be uninhabited.

"Visibility is what we’re after," Olson said. "We did not invest $20 million (in public money for the Greenway) for people to hide out there."

Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail jmoran@mailtribune.com.