Portland Has Fewest Officers in 25 Years, Chief Asks for Reductions in Budget Cuts

On Thursday, Portland police reassigned sergeants and officers from three precincts "in an effort to reduce overtime costs."

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February 5, 2021

Portland Has Fewest Officers in 25 Years, Chief Asks for Reductions in Budget Cuts

The Portland Police Bureau now has the "lowest number of sworn employees" in more than 25 years, prompting the department to reassign certain personnel as a way to decrease overtime costs, officials announced.

On Thursday, Portland police reassigned sergeants and officers from three precincts "in an effort to reduce overtime costs" – just one day after an Oregonian/Oregon Live report detailing how Police Chief Chuck Lovell has asked city commissioners to decrease department budget cuts to just 1% so they can hire more personnel.

"Due to the fact that the bureau has its lowest number of sworn employees in over 25 years (824 sworn members), and because of enormous costs associated with events of 2020, the Bureau took this step to save money," the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said in a Thursday press release regarding the reorganization.

In a recently submitted budget proposal, which was shared online by The Oregonian, Lovell said the PPB "anticipates it will have over 100 vacant positions," with 73 open sworn positions and the remainder being nonsworn, Fox reports.

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Topics:Officer Shortage Budget Cuts Oregon agencies Patrol

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