News Roundup June 30 - July 7, 2024

JOHS renewed, holiday weekend crime wave, camping ban enforcement starts, PPB moves staff out of property crimes unit, cost of police vehicle arson revealed

At a glance:

• Portland City Council voted to extend the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) contract for three more years despite concerns about the program's effectiveness and stewardship of resources. KGW, KPTV

• Portland was not left out of the national wave of holiday gun violence. OPB See gun violence section for Portland's toll. In addition to murder, Portlanders saw trashed public parks and the consequences of illegal firework use.

• City of Portland announces enforcement of the camping ban. Businesses report positive results even before the start of enforcement. KPTV

• Portland Police re-assigned officers and detectives, moving them out of the property crimes unit, citing recent reductions in property crime. OPB

• Portland has yet to hold arsonists who torched PPB vehicles at their training facility to account. The cost is at least $400,000; the city is on the hook for $100,000 with insurance covering the rest. Procurement delays are not expected to have a near term operational impact. Oregonian

Reports released this week:

• PPB Training Division 2024-1 In-Service Evaluation Report

Upcoming events

• July 10, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) Community Engagement Subcommittee Meeting 7/10/24 (website)

• July 10, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Police Training Advisory Council (TAC) Meeting (website)

• July 11, 2024 (Thursday) 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: FITCOG MEETING JULY 11, 2024 (website)

Opportunities and calls for volunteer service

• Private For-Hire Transportation Advisory Committee and Transportation Network Company Driver Advisory Committee are now recruiting members, as is the Urban Forestry Commission. PCCEP, CRC, PRB are still recruiting. See the city's volunteer job board for details

• PPB has several directives up for review, including policies on secondary employment, traffic crash investigations, field training for new officers, the cadet program, and officer performance reviews. PPB directive review

Policing and crime

Crime and the impact of crime:

• 2024-07-07: Oregonian - Booze, a state police truck and silence: How decade-old misconduct shaped OSP’s top cop

• 2024-07-05: Fox 12 Oregon - Man charged with burglaries at SW Portland Catholic church

• 2024-07-05: KOIN - Arsonist with butane torches tried to start dumpster fires in downtown Portland during 4th of July: PPB

• 2024-07-04: Fox 12 Oregon - Man arrested for swinging knife at people in SW Portland

• 2024-07-03: Willamette Week - Sullivan’s Gulch to Get Scrubbed of Graffiti and Trash This Month

• 2024-07-02: KPTV - Portland nonprofit vandalized twice in one week

• 2024-07-02: Oregonian - Dozens of people ransack NW Portland warehouse after someone posts a ‘free’ sign outside, police say

• 2024-07-01: KGW - Three former Ida B. Wells students identified in deadly car crash

Gun violence:

• 2024-07-07: KOIN 6 - Man dead, teen injured after dozens of shots fired in drive-by shooting in SE Portland: Police

• 2024-07-07: KATU - Man found dead after late-night shooting in Portland motel parking lot

• 2024-07-06: KPTV - 2 teens hurt after suspects fire into car where they were sitting in N Portland

• 2024-07-06: KGW - Portland shooting: Man killed in Old Town

• 2024-07-05: KGW - 1 wounded, suspect arrested in Northeast Portland shooting

• 2024-07-03: KOIN - Man accused of menacing people by firing shots into the ground arrested

• 2024-07-02: KGW - Suspect in deadly shooting on Portland MAX platform turns himself in

Police and policing:

• 2024-07-03: OPB - Portland police move detectives, sergeant out of property crimes unit

• 2024-07-02: KPTV - U.S. Marshals arrest suspect following high-speed chase on Sandy Blvd

• 2024-07-02: Oregonian - Portland faces $400,000 cost to replace burned-out police cars; still no arrests in arson investigation

PPB News Releases:

• 2024-07-07: PPB - One Dies, One Injured After Dozens of Shots Fired in the Buckman Neighborhood

• 2024-07-07: PPB - Man Deceased After Shooting in the Madison South Neighborhood

• 2024-07-06: PPB - Man Dies After Shooting in the Old Town Neighborhood

• 2024-07-05: PPB - Church Burglar Arrested

• 2024-07-03: PPB - ECST Investigation Leads to Arrest, Seizure of Firearms

• 2024-07-02: PPB - Teens Killed in Crash Identified

• 2024-07-02: PPB - Suspicious Death Determined Not to be Homicide

• 2024-07-01: PPB - Homicide Suspect in Custody

• 2024-07-01: PPB - Police Bureau Seeks Public Input on Directives

Other stories:

• 2024-07-04: KGW - IED explosion injures Beaverton officer, damages police patrol vehicle

• 2024-07-01: Willamette Week - Crowdfunding Campaign Seeks to Aid Tagger Linked to Storehouse of Spray Paint

Politics and policy

Heatwave and the holiday weekend:

• Heatwave:

  • 2024-07-07: The Portland Mercury: Cooling Centers Will Operate Through Monday Amid Excessive Heat Wave

  • 2024-07-06: Willamette Week - Bill McKibben Talks Climate Action as Heat Wave Arrives in Portland

  • 2024-07-05: KGW - ‘It’s disrespectfully hot:’ Homeless residents seek shelter in sweltering Portland

  • 2024-07-04: KGW - Union Gospel Mission distributes needed supplies, vital information to homeless before Portland heat wave

  • 2024-07-04: KGW - Multnomah County to open 3 cooling centers Friday for heat wave

  • 2024-07-02: KPTV - Some of Oregon’s most vulnerable get help before heat wave

• Destructive behavior:

  • 2024-07-05: KGW - 'There can be a lot of people drinking and just not paying attention': Multnomah River Patrol prepares for holiday weekend

  • 2024-07-05: KPTV - Portland Waterfront Park covered in trash after 4th of July celebration

  • 2024-07-05: KPTV - Portland hospital treats 5 serious hand injuries related to fireworks

Portland government transition:

• 2024-07-03: Mercury - Six Months Ahead of Official Government Transition, Portland Launches a Test Run

Elections:

• 2024-07-03: Willamette Week - These City Council Candidates Are Picking Up Fat Checks From Donors

• 2024-07-01: Mercury - Meet Your Portland 2024 Mayoral Candidates

• 2024-06-30: Willamette Week - Northwest Oregon Labor Council Endorses City Council Candidates

City:

• 2024-07-06: Oregonian - Broken Records: Mayoral emails, collision reports, body-cam footage -- Public records tell a wide range of tales

• 2024-07-05: Willamette Week - City Mechanics to Move to Swan Island

• 2024-07-03: Oregonian - Portland proposes $175,000 payout to end homeless camping ban lawsuit

• 2024-07-03: Willamette Week - On His Last Day Overseeing the Water Bureau, City Commissioner Mingus Mapps Pushes Out Its Director

County:

• 2024-07-07: KOIN - Multnomah County DA-elect Nathan Vasquez talks policy changes, transition to new role

• 2024-07-04: Mercury - Muslim Woman Forced to Remove Hijab in Multnomah County Jail

State:

• 2024-07-03: OPB - Bias incidents reported to Oregon hotline rose again this year, state DOJ says

• 2024-07-03: OPB - Federal jury rejects former Oregon legislative staffer’s unjust firing claim

• 2024-07-02: Willamette Week - Oregon Environmental Regulator’s DEI Council Publishes Pro-Palestine Statement

Transportation:

• 2024-07-02: BikePortland - Crossing NE Killingsworth? It’ll soon be much easier

Education:

• 2024-07-07: OPB - Portland Community College launches program to build strong foundation for first-generation students

• 2024-07-02: KOIN - Portland State University joins national criminal justice research

• 2024-07-01: OPB - Two PSU students sue university over protest participation

Economy and business:

• Labor:

  • 2024-07-04: NW Labor Press - TriMet deal comes amid union leadership change

  • 2024-07-03: StreetRoots - Last Month in Oregon Labor | June 2024

  • 2024-07-05: KGW - Portland sees net loss of jobs year-over-year

• Regulatory impact on business:

  • 2024-07-03: KGW - Portland Asian-owned businesses face outsize ADA lawsuit numbers

Addiction and recovery:

• 2024-07-03: Willamette Week - The Public Policy Word of the Summer Is “Deflection”

• 2024-07-02: KGW - Multnomah County drug deflection program details — and limitations — come into focus as start date gets closer

Housing and homelessness:

• Camping ban:

  • 2024-07-04: KATU - Mayor Wheeler addresses the revolving door of homeless camps in Portland

  • 2024-07-03: StreetRoots - Portland enforces public sleeping ban

  • 2024-07-01: KGW - Lack of resources restricts Portland's ability to fully enforce its homeless camping ban

  • 2024-07-01: KGW - Portland starts enforcement of new homeless camping ban

• Providing housing:

  • 2024-07-03: KGW - Portland city council votes to renew homeless services contract with Multnomah County for 3 more years

  • 2024-07-02: Willamette Week - Multnomah County Initiative to Move People From the Streets Into Housing Meets Its Benchmark

Other news

Growth and resilience:

• 2024-07-05: Skanner - Cascadia AIDS Project Opens Inclusive Health Care Clinic in Eliot Neighborhood

• 2024-07-03: StreetRoots - Morning Star church breaks ground on community resiliency project