Portland police: Understaffing prompts closure of Property Crimes Unit to address ‘most egregious crimes’

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Say goodbye to Portland police’s Property Crimes Unit.

The Portland Police Bureau confirmed it will be reassigning officers currently in the unit tasked with investigating crimes like burglaries, stolen cars and identity theft.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said the call made by Portland Police Chief Bob Day comes down to understaffing.

However, police said they will still investigate property crimes.

At Jantzen Beach, shoppers gave a wave of different reactions to the news. Some said they think the move makes sense since they feel safer in stores and are seeing fuller shelves. Others said they’re concerned the Property Crimes Unit being dissolved will embolden thieves.

“It doesn’t discourage crime, I’ll put it that way,” said one shopper, Patrick Pitton.

Jantzen Beach was the backdrop for the most recent retail theft mission by Portland police .

“I’m worried about going back to what we saw during the pandemic. People grabbing garbage bags full of stuff and running out of stores,” Pitton said.

The three detectives who currently make up the Property Crimes Unit will get reassigned to the Special Victims Unit and Sex Crimes Unit . A sergeant previously with PCU will be added to patrol, wherever needed.

This comes as City of Portland data shows a drop in reported robberies and aggravated assaults in the first half of the year compared to last year. However, the number of rape cases has remained roughly the same. The Portland Police Bureau also reported that “person crimes,” like those linked to domestic violence, have only gone down by about 1%.

“These crimes are historically, and always have been, underreported, right? So, we’re not even seeing a drop in the amount of crimes that are being reported. I think that echoes even a bigger problem,” said Margot Martin, the interim CEO of Bradley Angle, the oldest domestic violence shelter on the West Coast.

While Martin said domestic violence survivors often choose not to engage with law enforcement, she said demand for services hasn’t dropped since a spike seen during the pandemic.

“We have seen a huge increase in need ever since that started in 2020, and that hasn’t changed. And what that’s really coupled with is that so many survivors, we estimate about 90% of them, are also victims of financial abuse. What that means is that they have to make the decision to be safe or to be houseless,” Martin said.

The Multnomah County DA’s Office said that the closure of the Property Crimes Unit comes as the community still feels the impact of property crimes. However, police maintain that each precinct will have an active detective following through on those cases.

In a statement, Chief Day said he made the call to reallocate resources in an attempt to fill gaps created by retirements and promotions.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, you can call a local free and confidential crisis line at (503) 235-5333 or visit calltosafety.org . You can also visit Bradley Angle’s website for help or more information.

Below is the full statement from the DA’s Office:

“The closure of PPB’s property crime unit comes at a time where the community still acutely feels the impact of property crimes, but PPB has assured our office that each precinct will have an acting detective who will be following through on property crime cases. Additionally, MCDA Investigators will continue to work with PPB to address any gaps in the investigative process. The reassignment of detectives speaks less to the priority that is placed on these crimes and more to the very tough staffing decisions that must ultimately be made by Chief Day in a time where law enforcement is heavily understaffed. It is our intention that we will be able to maintain the same level of attention to these cases, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with PPB in pursuing these cases.”

Below is Chief Day’s full statement that he wrote to PPB members last month:

“Change is always difficult, but it is imperative that we make these important decisions when it comes to using our resources to address the most egregious crimes . I appreciate the investigators who will be bringing their experience and expertise to these critical specialty units.”

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