Portland Police Consider Hiring Freeze

Portland Police Chief Mike Reese may implement a hiring freeze as an alternative to deeper cuts that would require layoffs as it looks for ways to trim $6.1 million (or 4%) of its budget.

The Portland Police Bureau would freeze the current 26 officer vacancies and is also considering returning day- and afternoon-shift officers to a 5-day, 8-hour work shift. Officers currently work 4-day, 10-hour shifts. A work-shift change would likely lower patrol morale, Chief Reese told The Oregonian.