Mayor Seeks to Invest $5 Million in Portland Police One Year After Defunding Initiative

A year after Portland’s police department underwent significant budget cuts amid demands to defund the police, Mayor Ted Wheeler has announced he is seeking more than $5 million this fall for police investments, including hiring more officers and buying body-worn cameras, reports the Associated Press. The announcement came during the city’s most violent year with a record number of 72 homicides, surpassing its previous full-year record of 66 in 1987. Deadly violence in Portland has increased at a faster rate than nearly all major cities, with an 83 percent increase in homicides in 2020.

Starting in the fiscal year 2023, Wheeler said he wants to increase the police bureau’s staffing numbers by 300 officers — 200 sworn officers and 100 unarmed public safety specialists — over the next three years. To attract more officers to the force, Wheeler is proposing $25,000 signing bonuses to the first 50 officers or public safety specialists. In addition, he is supporting the rehiring of 25 retired police officers. Since August 2020, about 200 officers have left the department. Many, in their exit interviews, cited low morale, lack of support from city officials and burnout from months of racial justice protests. Currently, the police department is around 130 officers below its authorized strength. Last year, amid booming calls to defund the police, city leaders slashed more than $25 million from the police budget.