Portland police report significant drop in homicides, gun violence in 2023
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- To close out 2023, the Portland Police Bureau reported a noted decrease in homicides in the city, but also addressed work to be done regarding traffic-related fatalities and efforts to reduce future incidents in 2024.
According to PPB, this is the first time there has been this kind of decrease in homicides in Portland since 2020.
Preliminary estimates say the number of homicides in Portland in the past year was 74 (including 61 involving gun violence) compared to 97 in 2022.
"It's a pretty significant drop and certainly something we like to see," said PPB's Sgt. Kevin Allen. "But we also know that there's a long way to go."
Around 20 of the homicides this year were related to gangs, 14 connected to the houseless community and 5 related to drug deal disputes.
However, Allen acknowledged this is likely an undercount, since the driving factor in open cases is not always known when a suspect hasn't had a chance to be interviewed by authorities.
As far as incidents involving gun violence, PPB reports 1,005 confirmed shootings, with 314 people confirmed shot. These statistics do not include suicides or officer-involved shootings.
With the effort of PPB teams and partners such as the Enhanced Community Safety team and Focused Intervention team proactively trying to prevent shootings-and even members of the community stepping forward to address the root causes of gun violence, Allen is hopeful these numbers will continue to decrease.
"I absolutely have optimism that Portland is in a recovery and we certainly hope that the positive trends that we're seeing in terms of gun violence and injuries related to shooting are going to continue," he said.
Traffic fatalities in 2023
On the other hand, traffic-related fatalities totaled 73 in 2023, with 32 involving pedestrians. This is a slight increase from last year with 73 deaths including 26 pedestrians. Allen calls this "very alarming," as it is approaching the record of 79 traffic-related deaths from 1986.
"Most of these crashes are preventable," Allen added. "When you're driving, don't just look for other vehicles. You want to look for all road users, whether they be pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, skateboarders, you name it. Just be aware that there are multiple modes of transportation out there."
Currently, PPB has motorcycle officers out working patrols to prevent further traffic-related incidents, looking for impaired drivers, speeding, dangerous lane changes, running red lights, and other related behaviors.
Staffing issues has been one of the bureau's biggest challenges, with the number of sworn officers below 800. But they're continuing to recruit, with over 1,000 applicants and expectations for another hiring event in the next month. Should those prospective officers make the cut, they will then make their way through PPB's 18-month training program.
"I wish that we had 100 more officers because I think that could make a huge difference in not only public safety, but just a perception of safety in our community," Allen noted.
According to PPB Chief Bob Day, the bureau hired 61 officers and 58 professional staff members this year, and that effort will continue.