PORTLAND, Ore. — With the holidays fast approaching, Multnomah County law enforcement officials are making a particular effort to assure Portland-area residents and visitors alike that the area will be safe for people looking to shop or attend events.
On Monday, the Portland Police Bureau announced that it would begin walking patrols instead of car patrols in downtown through the end of the year, assigning eight officers to the area meant to operate in teams of two. They'll be out from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, the agency said.
PPB made no secret that the patrols are meant to assure people that the area will be safe for shoppers amid a marked erosion in the area's reputation and a rise in crime coming out of the pandemic.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Bob Day said that PPB will also launch a new mission to combat retail theft during the holiday shopping rush, set to start Black Friday and last through the weekend.
"The message is we want people to come out; we want people to enjoy Multnomah County, to shop, to really embrace the kickoff of this season," Day said, "and also understand that if you're going to come out and steal things that we're going to be watching."
Unlike the walking patrols, the retail theft mission will be spread throughout the county. Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell said that her office will have up to three deputies assigned to the effort each day, alongside officers from Portland and Gresham.
Portland police said they will have at least 25 officers assigned to the mission each day, along with a K9, eight Gresham officers, the three Multnomah County deputies, three Port of Portland officers, and both the PPB and MCSO surveillance planes.
The agencies aren't revealing where they'll target, precisely.
"This county-wide collaboration is a message to our businesses, to our shoppers, that we want you to have a safe and prosperous holiday season and those who commit crimes will be arrested," Morrisey O'Donnell said.
Theft has increased in Portland by roughly 80% since last year, and Day acknowledged that stealing can be a last resort for some people. It's unclear, however, if people arrested during this upcoming mission will be offered any alternative sentences to jail time.
"This is not an attempt to criminalize poverty and not recognize the challenges people are facing in tough economic times," Day said. "I'm not 100% familiar with what DA Schmidt is doing with all of these cases ... I just wanted to recognize once again in the spirit of transparency that this is a complicated issue."
While this mission is expected to end Sunday, Day said he is interested in making it an ongoing effort.