Portland police seeing officer shortages as gun violence rocks the city
Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner joins to discuss why crime is surging in Portland
Police responded to a shooting in Southeast Portland that left one dead and several others injured Sunday night.
Police say the attack may have been a drive-by shooting, according to local outlet KGW8. Police did not clarify the exact number of people injured in the shooting, nor the severity of their injuries, but said they have all been taken to hospitals.
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The Portland Police Department (PPD) is continuing to investigate the incident.
The shooting came just days after Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese wrote a public letter warning residents of rising violent crime in and around Portland. Portland resides inside Multnomah County.
"I continue to be deeply concerned about current trends in community violence," Reese wrote Friday.
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The city's violent crime rate has surged in 2022, suffering 25 homicides with 102 arrests for murder or attempted murder by the end of March. The homicides placed the city on track to beat 2021's total, while the arrests outpace any year since the turn of the century.
A Portland, Ore., police officer scans the crowd while dispersing protesters, Aug. 21, 2020. (Getty Images)
A recent study has also shown that morale among the PPD is low, thanks largely to what police say is a "lack of support" from the city government in the face of widespread protests since 2020.
"The repeated references to a ‘lack of support’ from City government seemed even more acute than frustrations with protesters — and have seemingly contributed to a self-perpetuating dynamic of distrust and resentment," the report from an independent law enforcement investigatory agency stated.. "Such feelings are particularly focused against those in City government who are perceived to be ‘anti-police’ and therefore undermining to Bureau operations."
