PORTLAND, Ore. — Governor Tina Kotek has directed Oregon State Police to assist the Portland Police Bureau to push back against increasingly frequent instances of street racing and street takeovers in the city.
Kotek's office and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler both confirmed the news, which was first reported by The Oregonian, although neither statement went into detail about how the two law enforcement agencies would work together.
"The Governor is pleased with the expanded collaboration between the Portland Police Bureau and the Oregon State Police to address emerging issues like street racing as well as increase DUII enforcement to improve safety on our streets," press secretary Elizabeth Shepard said.
Wheeler's statement described the plan similarly, calling it a partnership between state and Portland police that will focus on combatting street takeovers and increasing traffic and DUII enforcement.
Street takeovers and street racing have become an increasingly frequent and visible problem in Portland in recent years, drawing concerns about the disruptive and in some cases deadly activity. Despite efforts to crack down, some incidents have been difficult for police to break up.
Lawmakers in Salem introduced a bill earlier this year aimed at cracking down on street racing by increasing the maximum jail time and fines for people found guilty of organizing the events. The bill passed the Senate last week and is now before the Oregon House.
After a recent incident outside the Lloyd Center, a PPB spokesman said street takeover events can involve dozens of vehicles and hundreds of people, requiring a large and coordinated police response to safely end them, and PPB doesn't always have enough officers available.
Shepard said Kotek and Wheeler also want to address police staffing shortages, and they've agreed to ask the legislature for more funding to clear the state's law enforcement training backlog in the next two years, which Shepard said could cost up to $6.8 million.
"I also appreciate and strongly support the Governor’s plan to expand funding and staffing at DPSST to help clear the backlog of new officers eagerly awaiting training and certification," Wheeler said in a statement. "PPB has done a tremendous job of recruiting and hiring over 100 sworn staff with diverse lived experience who are committed to serving our community. With these concrete steps, they can get to work more quickly and make Portland safer for everyone."