PPB chief says Portland needs 156 more sworn officers to handle city’s needs

The Portland Police Bureau needs 156 more sworn officers to handle the needs of a city of this size, according to Chief Bob Day.

The bureau currently has 804 sworn members and 77 current vacancies for a total capacity of 881 authorized sworn.

Chief Day said that’s leading to slow response times, minimal case follow-up and a lot of crime going unreported or not investigated.

“We still have exorbitant wait times for calls of service. That’s just a customer service thing where people are waiting 90 minutes, 2 hours plus for a police officer to arrive at their problem,” said Day.

Day said 1037 officers are needed, according to a calculation based on Portland’s population.

PPB explains this number was calculated by dividing Portland’s population by 1,000 and multiplying by the average number of sworn officers per 1,000 for comparable cities, which include Seattle, Denver, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Fresno, Mesa, and Oakland.

In 2005, the bureau had close to this number – 1035 authorized sworn. But the numbers have been steadily decreasing since then.

Authorized Sworn 2023: 881
Authorized Sworn 2021: 882
Authorized Sworn 2020: 916
Authorized Sworn 2019: 1001
Authorized Sworn 2009: 1004
Authorized Sworn 2005: 1035
Source: PPB

According to data shared by the Bureau, PPB is the lowest per 1,000 of comparable cities, and well below the average of the cities combined.

“This is not a logistical plan, but the foundation to create a vision and energy to get PPB to an appropriate size while also being fiscally responsible,” said Day in a Tuesday press release.

“By increasing the number of officers, we can improve community outreach, be more effective and less intrusive with crime reduction strategies, reduce the reliance on overtime, provide a higher level of service, and create a work environment where PPB members are thriving.”

Day says more officers would improve response times to calls for service, increase follow-up on cases, reduce crime with reduced reliance on overtime, enhance community relationships, and decrease member burnout.

The request for more officers comes three weeks before election day and six weeks after Oregon’s law re-criminalizing small amounts of hard drugs took effect.

But Day said he chose to make this announcement now, because he’s been chief for a year, and it will be up to the next city council to come up with a strategy and a budget.

“We have a window of time here, the next 18 months to 2 years, to right size the ship and be able to address some of those concerns like burnout, officer wellness, better efficiency in our response times, better follow up investigations, and to be a more fiscally responsible organization too, without the reliance on overtime we currently have,” he said.

https://katu.com/news/local/ppb-chief-says-portland-needs-156-more-sworn-officers
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: October 17, 2024, 3:03 am.

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