Portland Police Chief Announces Plan to Mitigate Criminal Behavior This Election Season

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) – As political tension boils between the left and right, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is conducting preventative outreach and coordinating with the city and other law enforcement partners, among other efforts , to ensure the safety of the community.

“My message to those who intend to engage in criminal behavior is that we will prohibit that behavior,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day said.

Community members tell us they are worried about a repeat of 2020.

“A repeat of the riots, the looting, all the craziness that happened last time has impacted my job and my ability to work in the neighborhood just because of all the streets being closed,” said Mendoza.

Chief Bob Day says one of the changes this time around is using more bikes.

He says the bikes will give them an agile response. They are also looking for ways to improve their rapid response.

“We asked the Independent Monitor LLC to give us a full review of all of our tactics and responses, so we’re relying on a new program this year that I think makes us better suited to respond to protests,” said Chief Day.

In our conversations with Portland Police officers, we heard repeatedly that staffing was an issue. So we asked Chief Day how he plans to make these changes with insufficient staffing.

“So, you know, staffing continues to be a challenge for us, we’re about 800 officers, and in 2019 we were over a thousand so, you know, we continue to lag behind on staffing, This is why I exercised the authority to have everyone work these mandatory 12-hour shifts and cancel days off in order to maximize the availability of everyone within the office. said Chief Day.

Dr. Randall Blazak of Cure PNW, a group that works to prevent political violence, tells us he has spoken with Chief Bob Day about potential strategies to reduce political violence.

He tells us that today there is more confidence in the electoral process and that people talk more to each other about issues on which they do not agree.

“We have more people talking to people with different views than their local church or workplace because they are actually physically back in their workplace unlike in 2020,” said Dr. Blazak. “The danger is the people on the margins, those who are on the margins when we think about militias or extremist groups and those who really cling to the idea that violence is a legitimate expression of political grievances. »

If you or a loved one is concerned about becoming violent, you can contact the hotline listed on the Cure PNW website.