A recent candidate questionnaire circulated by The Oregonian and OPB revealed that the 2024 council candidate pool is fairly evenly split on whether to significantly boost Portland’s police force.
The Portland Police Bureau has a total of 797 sworn members, down 23% from 1,035 in 2005. As of 2023, Portland’s police staffing ratio was significantly below the national average, with approximately 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, compared to the U.S. average of 2.1 officers per 1,000 residents.
The questionnaire posed the following question to council candidates: Would you vote yes on a proposal to fund hundreds more police officers than the City Council has already authorized? Why or why not? How would the city pay for it?
30+ Candidates Support Increasing Police Staffing
While approximately 30 candidates either didn’t answer the question directly or didn’t return the questionnaire at all, more than 30 candidates responded affirmatively.
“Investing in community police professionals is crucial to ensure community safety and effective crime response in Portland. By reallocating funds from redundant and overlapping city services, we can bolster public safety resources, enhance training, and improve community relations,” wrote City Commissioner Dan Ryan, who is seeking a seat in District 2. Ryan’s stance was echoed by Jamie Dunphy, a government relations director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network who is running in District 1. “The bureau is truly understaffed, and it takes 18 months from when a recruit is hired to when they can be on the beat. We need to plan for the wave of coming retirements from an aging police force and to welcome new talent.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Eli Arnold, a Portland police officer vying to represent District 4, also supported increasing the police force. “I propose endorsing a goal of 1.8 police officers per 1,000 residents. The FBI reports a national average of 2.3 in 2019. We should fund them one hundred at a time. We should use some of the PCEF revenue, which greatly exceeded the program size sold to voters.”
30+ Candidates Say Now is Not the Right Time for Expansion
Approximately 35 candidates said they would not support hiring hundreds of new police officers at this time. “Until we restructure our public safety system, let police focus on crime response, prevention, and investigations, and empower other providers to address calls when a person is in crisis, we won’t know how many officers our community needs. Let’s build the right system, then determine our policing needs,” wrote political consultant and former union organizer Elana Pirtle-Guiney, a candidate in District 2.
Angelita Morillo, an anti-hunger advocate running in District 3, said: “Given the issues of excessive force and unequal treatment of BIPOC Portlanders endemic in the Portland Police Bureau, we need to talk about accountability and rebuilding public trust before giving them a blank check. The city needs to do regular audits to ensure the bureau is responding to calls effectively.” Both Pirtle-Guiney and Morillo have previously voiced their support for expanding Portland Street Response, the city’s unarmed first responders focusing on mental health emergencies.
Some Candidates Won’t Commit Without Specific Funding Plans
Multiple candidates took issue with the question, arguing that committing to voting yes without identifying the funding source would be disingenuous.
“As a prospective city councilor, I hope your readers appreciate that I won’t make promises I can’t keep. Until we know how to pay for police officers, I can’t commit to voting for more. Reducing overtime costs within the Portland Police Bureau alone could fund over 100 new hires,” wrote Jesse Cornett, a recovery advocate in District 3. His opinion was seconded by former City Commissioner Steve Novick, running in the same district. “I can’t say yes, precisely because I can’t say how to pay for it. I would like to restore detectives to investigate property crimes, traffic officers to stem the carnage on the streets, and add patrol officers (after seeing how many calls can be handled by increasing Portland Street Response),” Novick answered.
Others pointed out that while they were supportive of adding officers, the city has an officer recruiting problem that must first be addressed. “[…] we have a recruitment and training pipeline problem that will slow our ability to increase the force. Public safety is an essential function, important to restoring a sense of safety among the public and improving our image. The budget must prioritize essential services, find savings, and get creative,” stated Olivia Clark, a former long-time legislative director who is running in District 4.
While mayoral candidates also received the questionnaire, the question about bolstering the police force was not included.
