Crime in Portland

[Pavlov's Dog]

I recently read that the City of Portland has had an extremely positive homicide rate this year with only 8 homicides up to August 1. 2 of these were homeowners shooting and killing burglars and will probably be counted as justified so 6 murders. That is a shockingly low number. With a little luck Portland could end the year with 10 murders which is the kind of murder rate you'd expect to see in a Canadian or Western European city of the same size. That is fantastic news.

Digging a little deeper I came across this article telling about a new crime mapping tool. The tool sounds like a good one but I read this line here I see that crime in Portland has dropped dramatically the past 20 years.

Portland State Professor Kris Henning said many residents don’t realize that crime has declined considerably over the past 20 years. Henning said they devour so much crime news they think the city is more dangerous than it is.

“Of the 13 crimes we looked at, the only one that increased significantly was bike theft,” Baleilevuka said.

Overall, gun-related crimes in Portland have dropped 84%. Residential burglaries are down 61%, motor vehicle thefts dropped 70%, home robberies are down 76% and street robberies are down 70%.

So I thought I'd start this thread to discuss crime developments and how urban planning policy and development might be effecting this massive improvement.

Some discussion points:

• Portland versus peer cities in the US
• Crime development in Portland suburbs, is crime being reduced or displaced?
• Crime in Portland compared to peer cities outside the US
• Policing in Portland
• gentrification and crime
• what can be done to improve the situation even more?
• how has decriminalization and then legalization of marijuana contributed to the decrease?
• Incarceration in Portland, Oregon and SW Washington

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by Pavlov's Dog

Some discussion points:

• Portland versus peer cities in the US
• Crime development in Portland suburbs, is crime being reduced or displaced?
• Crime in Portland compared to peer cities outside the US
• Policing in Portland
• gentrification and crime
• what can be done to improve the situation even more?
• how has decriminalization and then legalization of marijuana contributed to the decrease?
• Incarceration in Portland, Oregon and SW Washington

crime rates generally have been dropping nationally over the last 20 years or so, and there are multiple theories about the *why* postulated. you can add the following to your list perhaps:

• leaded fuel use/early brain development and crime
• abortion/birth control influences on crime rates

I'm curious what others have to share about this, in a more Portland specific way. I haven't got time to research it, but I'm pretty confident that Portland is not an outlier in this regard.

this is also fascinating in relation to national politics generally, and the presidential race specifically. The "Make America Safe Again" tact doesn't necessarily coincide with the statistical data, but seems to have resonance with many at a gut level. I think the Prof quoted above is spot on about how we are fed a steady diet of crime through the media, and that it feels really, really dangerous now. we're starting to see some blowback to the fear mongering from a few on the right which hopefully will add some much needed intellectual honesty on the subject, but I'm fairly certain that a decent chunk of America prefers to be scared. weird.

[Pavlov's Dog]

Looking at the FBI data for 2014, Portland would indeed be #1 by a large margin among cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants if the current annualized 1.1 rate holds through the whole year. San Diego is at 2.3 but of course includes massive areas that would be low crime suburbs of most typical cities.

Toronto had a murder rate of 2.0 in 2012 and Vancouver 1.2. Canada as a whole has a rate of 1.6

I don't have city level data but the national averages for the following countries is: Australia 1.3, England and Wales 1.0, Ireland 1.0, New Zealand 0.9, Sweden .9

Among major cities I found 2009 data with the following homicide rates: Amsterdam 4.4, Glasgow 3.3, Brussels 3, Prague 2.7, Seoul 2.4, Warsaw 1.9, Berlin 1.8, London 1.6, Helsinki 1.2, Oslo 1.2, Vienna 1.1, Madrid 1, Tokyo 0.4, Lisbon 0.2

It will be interesting to see if this is a permanent development or a statistical blip and we will see Portland revert to the mean. In any case the current numbers are fantastic and world class, in a good way.

[Pavlov's Dog]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

[*]leaded fuel use/early brain development and crime

Interesting. I had never heard of that before.

[scleeb]

Originally Posted by Pavlov's Dog

Interesting. I had never heard of that before.

Check this article out: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknap.../#5b1fdff163b2

[subterranean]

Portland councilwoman has city to use traffic cones to curb shootings


A Portland City Commissioner who has called for defunding the police has ordered the city's Bureau of Transportation to use traffic barrels in an effort to curb gun violence. Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty ordered the Bureau of Transportation to install the orange traffic barrels across a six-block area in the Mt.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...shootings.html

[downtownpdx]

Survey: Regardless of your politics, Portland wants more cops

https://www.koin.com/news/civic-affa...nts-more-cops/

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new survey of Portland voters shows residents are feeling less safe about the city, know more police are needed but want the police bureau to be reformed and well-trained, not defunded.

That’s the overview from the survey by the GS Strategy Group conducted for the group People of Portland. Between September 22-27, 2021, the survey polled 600 likely voters in the city of Portland.

Political consultants Dan Lavey and Kevin Looper co-founded People for Portland.


“Portland is the last major city without body cameras and the thing body cameras do is they hold people on both sides of the law accountable,” Looper said.

While Lavey and Looper typically oppose each other on political issues, the results of this poll show most people in the city want more police officers and they want them to wear body cameras.

“We saw in a ton of other questions they want more community policing, cops that look like the city and that are located in their neighborhoods,” Lavey said. “Absolutely, that’s the direction to reform the police department, but first and foremost they need more officers on the street.”


The survey showed 76% of Portland residents know the city’s problems are real and not exaggerated by the media. A full 60% of those who were once opposed to police are now beginning to support more police being hired, and 71% say they support hiring more police officers even though they are concerned about social justice and racism in the bureau.

(Continues)

[urbanlife]

I would like to see good police being hired and bad police being fired. Too many of them are members of far right groups and members of white nationalist groups. Too many of them think that they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions and would rather not do anything if they can't teargas people.

[subterranean]

Under the gun: Who has died in Portland’s historic wave of shootings, violence?


Side-by-side memorials remain at Khunamokwst Park for Jennifer Garcia and Charlie Borbon-Lopez, months after the two died in a shooting in Northeast Portland on Monday, March 1, 2021. August 21, 2021 Beth Nakamura/Staff

Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/202...outputType=amp

[downtownpdx]

Portland Police adds 100 new officers, Chief Lovell says bureau headed in right direction
by KATU StaffMon, April 3rd 2023, 5:26 PM PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. —

The Portland Police Bureau has had 100 new officers join the force in the last year. It’s a major shift after a hiring freeze and mass exodus.

KATU’s Wright Gazaway sat down with Chief Chuck Lovell to discuss hiring, training, and what he’s looking for in new officers.

Chief Lovell says he is optimistic that the bureau can fully restaff, “I think it's gonna take time, but, when I talk to my colleagues around the country, through major city chiefs and other outlets, and even locally, a lot of agencies are struggling to hire people. You hear a lot about it nationally, and I think, it says a lot about this agency and this city that people, want to come here. People are applying, every month to come work here.”

The Portland recruitment division says 1500 people have applied to be an officer over the last year.

Lovell says he’s happy with the kind of people applying. “I'm really happy with the work our personnel division's doing to bring in just some really good candidates. Some of the things I hear from folks are like, Hey, I'm from Portland. I've lived here my whole life, and, I want to be a part of making the city better. We get some people that aren't from Portland, like, you know, I've been to Portland, I've visited, but, this is where I want to lay down roots, and I'm happy to be a part of the police bureau.”

continues - https://katu.com/news/local/portland...ight-direction

[downtownpdx]

Portland's unarmed crisis response team looks to go 24/7

Increased demand could lead the program to operate 24/7 within the next few months, adding two units to a new nightshift.

Author: Demi Lawrence (Portland Business Journal)
Published: 2:11 PM PDT March 30, 2023
Updated: 2:11 PM PDT March 30, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. —

Portland’s homelessness crisis has skyrocketed the last few years, with thousands sleeping on the streets every night, and many in need of care.

That’s one of many reasons why Portland Street Response, which supplements police and safety services, plans to expand its services this year. The move has support from 70% of readers responding to the Portland Business Journal's Advancing Portland survey support the expansion.


Portland Street Response, which debuted in early 2021, dispatches mental health professionals, community health workers and peer support specialists in lieu of police to certain 911 calls. This program, housed under Portland Fire and Rescue, was prompted by a 2019 city auditor’s report that revealed disproportionate arrest rates among the city’s homelessness population.

continues - https://www.kgw.com/article/news/loc...d-c210f98aefa7

[urbanlife]

Hopefully we are moving away from having shitty people being cops.

[NOPO]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Hopefully we are moving away from having shitty people being cops.

We need to be hiring social workers and mental health workers instead of straight up cops. Communities with more services are safer.

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by NOPO

We need to be hiring social workers and mental health workers instead of straight up cops. Communities with more services are safer.

That's what the 2nd article is about, Portland Street Response is providing that type of help in place of cops, when an armed response isn't needed, and it's expanding.

But we need both. We need quality people in those roles of course, and that needs to be monitored and is with a recently formed oversight committee. We have one if the lowest cops per capita rates in the nation. When I call 911 I want to be confident I won't be on hold for several minutes, or waiting on police to show up forever in an emergency.

[soleri]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Hopefully we are moving away from having shitty people being cops.

This is an unpleasant reminder that smugness and bigotry are found not only on the right. All generalizations falsify and never quite so pungently as when they're mocking another group's humanity. How easy to forget this when the shoe is on one's own foot.

I am curious about one thing, however. Which nation or city does it right? Presumably there are social workers when cops are no longer needed. Sounds like an interesting show!

[2oh1]

'People feel unsafe': Portland coffee shop closes downtown location

"We had a window that was shattered during business hours and we also had a chair thrown last Wednesday at this window," McCloud said. "People feel unsafe and it's very traumatizing."

The challenges with crime are impacting businesses across the city, as noted in a survey by Bricks need Mortar, an advocacy group for small businesses.
Out of 118 small businesses owners surveyed, 79% of them said their businesses had been broken into or vandalized in 2022. That’s up from 63% in the 2021 survey. Many businesses said they’d been hit more than once.

...story continues at KGW.

[PhillyPDX]

Hahaha. Wrong answer:

“Management’s reasoning made it sound like we’re in a war zone down here and that’s not really true,” said Wilcox, who also lives in the neighborhood. “I do think it’s been unsafe, so while it might be the right decision, they’re sort of using those concerns as an excuse.”

You can’t admit it’s unsafe, and turn around and say it’s really just masking other issues because it’s not Fallujah level-unsafe (especially since the alluded to biz issues likely are caused by lower revenue due to said same safety issues). Such poor journalism.

[2oh1]

One major issue in that section of town is the Plaid Pantry on 11th & Jefferson. It's a magnet for crime. Two of the three businesses across the street from it have left. Two of the businesses next door to it left. The recycling station across the street from it had to be closed. Condos in the building next to it are selling at prices similar to before the 2008/2009 great recession.

I wish all of the businesses in the area would join together to sue either that Plaid Pantry or the city, to force them to do something about crime on and around that property. There has to be something that can be done.

[sopdx]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

One major issue in that section of town is the Plaid Pantry on 11th & Jefferson. It's a magnet for crime. Two of the three businesses across the street from it have left. Two of the businesses next door to it left. The recycling station across the street from it had to be closed. Condos in the building next to it are selling at prices similar to before the 2008/2009 great recession.

I wish all of the businesses in the area would join together to sue either that Plaid Pantry or the city, to force them to do something about crime on and around that property. There has to be something that can be done.

You're 100% correct.
A stronger police presence there would be a good idea - not unlike 4th and Alder.

[CorbinWarrick]

God not another one.. what happened to this city? Smh it’s a shame