IN
IN ON
IN ON THIS ISSUE AND I KNOW YOU HAVE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE
PLEASE USE THAT HASHTAG.
HEY, DAN.
HEY, DAN.
HEY, DAN. NOW LET'S TAKE A FEW MINUTES
THOUGH AND TALK ABOUT THE
POLICE SIDE OF ALL OF THIS
BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE THEY
DEALING WITH THIS HISTORIC
SPIKE IN GUN VIOLENCE BUT ALSO
IT'S ON THE BACKS OF NIHGHTLY
PROTESTS AND RIOTS AND NOW AT
THIS POINT A HUGE NUMBER
OF OFFICERS LEAVING THE FORCE.
>> SO HERE ARE SOME NUMBERS TO
PUT ALL THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE
FOR YOU AS GUN VIOLENCE SURGES
ACROSS THE CITY OF PORTLAND,
THE AGENCY TASKED WITH
INVESTIGATING THOSE CRIMES
FACES A STAFFING CRISIS SINCE
JULY 20.
JULY 20.
JULY 20. THE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU HAS
LOST 129 SWORN MEMBERS, 75
RETIRED AND 54 RESIGNED.
THAT INCLUDES OFFICERS,
DETECTIVES AND COMMAND STAFF.
TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE,
THE YEAR BEFORE SAW SIX
RETIREMENTS AND FOUR
RESIGNATIONS AND THE YEAR
BEFORE THAT THERE WERE 45
RETIREMENTS AND NINE
RESIGNATIONS.
RESIGNATIONS. >> TODAY THE BUREAU HAS ABOUT
550 OFFICERS, 54 OF WHOM ARE
STILL IN TRAINING.
POLICE
THE
THE LOWEST NUMBER IN MORE THAN 25 YEARS AND DUE TO
BUDGET CUTS, ABOUT 100 SWORN
POSITIONS REMAIN UNFILLED.
THE BUREAU SAYS IT'S ONLY HIRED
EIGHT OFFICERS SINCE LAST JULY
THIS SHORTAGE COMES AS CIVIL
UNREST CONTINUES ON A NEAR
WEEKLY BASIS, MEANING LIMITED
RESOURCES HAVE BEEN STRETCHED
EVEN THINNER.
EVEN THINNER. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GRAPH.
IT SHOWS THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME
HOURS WORKED EACH MONTH.
SEE THAT SPIKE?
THAT'S LAST JUNE, THE HEIGHT
OF PORTLAND'S PROTESTS A MONTH
WHEN POLICE STAFF WORKED OVER
A5FC THOUSAND HOURS
OF OVERTIME.
OF OVERTIME. OFFICERS AVERAGED ALMOST 1500
HOURS OF OVERTIME A DAY.
IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE MONTH
SHOOTINGS IN THE CITY STARTED
TO INCREASE AND WITH THAT I
WANT TO BRING IN NBC NEWS
REPORTER GABE GUTIERREZ.
GABE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US FIRST OF ALL.
SECONDLY, RECENTLY YOU SPENT
SOME TIME HERE IN OUR CITY IN
PORTLAND TALKING ABOUT MORALE
OF OFFICERS.
OF OFFICERS. NOW WE HAVE BEEN MENTIONING
SEVERAL TIMES ON THIS SHOW HOW
A LOT OF BIG CITIES IN THE
COUNTRY HAVE BEEN SUFFERING THE
SAME TYPES OF THINGS WHEN IT
COMES TO POLICING AND WHAT
WE'RE SEEING IN OUR COMMUNITIES
WITH A RISE IN VIOLENT CRIMES,
THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WHY SPECIFICALLY DID YOU
COME TO THIS CITY TO HELP TELL
THAT STORY?
THAT STORY? >> DAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME.
HAVING ME. AND YES, WE CAME TO PORTLAND
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE WE WERE
LOOKING AT POLICE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IT'S NO
SECRET THAT MORALE IS DOWN.
IN FACT, ACCORDING TO ONE
RECENT SURVEY, IT'S HAVING IT'S
HAVING PROFOUND EFFECTS ON
THESE DEPARTMENTS.
THESE DEPARTMENTS. FORTY FIVE PERCENT INCREASE IN
RETIRED WHEN COMPARED TO THE
PREVIOUS YEAR, 18 PERCENT
INCREASE IN RESIGNATIONS OR THE
YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE IS
ESPECIALLY PRONOUNCED SINCE YOU
KNOW YOU'VE HAD MORE THAN ONE
HUNDRED OFFICERS ABOUT ONE
HUNDRED AND FIFTY OFFICERS
EITHER RESIGN OR RETIRE SINCE
JULY OF LAST YEAR.
AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, WE
WANTED TO COME TO THE CITY
AND SPEAK WITH A FEW OF THE
OFFICERS WE SPOKE WITH ACTUALLY
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
POLICE UNION, DARRELL TURNER,
WHO I'M SURE YOU KNOW AND WE
PUT TO HIM THAT QUESTION WHY
YOU KNOW HOW MORALE WAS IN THAT
CITY.
CITY.
CITY. >>
CITY. >> THINK OF US WHERE ELSE IS
THERE'S EVER BEEN BEFORE?
WE'RE DEALING WITH RIOTING AT A
LEVEL AND A SUSTAINED VIOLECE
THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT VIOLENCE IN
OUR CITY, GUN VIOLENCE IN A
CITY WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MOST
CATASTROPHIC STAFFING LEVELS
WE'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT BUDGET CUTS TO
DEFUND US LIKE WE'VE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. ALL THOSE THINGS PLAY INTO THE
MORALE OF A POLICE OFFICER
COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY TRYING
TO DO YOUR JOB, TRYING TO DO IT
RIGHT WITH ALL THESE ROADBLOCKS
IN YOUR WAY.
>> I'M WONDERING IN YOUR
REPORTING WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
IMPACT IS GOING TO BE LONG TERM
NOT JUST TO DEAL WITH THE
ISSUES THAT WE'RE HOPING TO
DEAL WITH NOW BUT IN THE FUTURE
ATTRACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO
THAT PROFESSION?
THAT PROFESSION? >> YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T TO SPEAK
TO PORTLAND.
TO PORTLAND. WE SPOKE WITH AN OFFICER FOLSOM
,CALIFORNIA WHO WAS
CONSIDERING WHETHER YOU WANTED
TO ADVISE HIS KIDS TO GO INTO
THE PROFESSION.
THE PROFESSION. THERE WAS ANOTHER OFFICER WE
SPOKE WITH A BLACK OFFICER
WOMAN IN IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
AND SHE WAS TRYING TO MEND
RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE
COMMUNITY BECAUSE LAST YEAR'S
PROTESTS FOR HER WERE EXTREMELY
PERSONAL.
PERSONAL.
PERSONAL. AND SO IT IS A HUGE ISSUE THAT
SOME OF THESE DEPARTMENTS ARE
FACING NOT JUST WITH WITH PAY
AND BENEFITS BUT NOW ALSO THE
QUESTION SURROUNDING WILL DO
YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO GO INTO
THIS PROFESSION?
THIS PROFESSION? MANY OF THESE OFFICERS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY HAVE FELT YOU KNOW,
THEY FEEL THAT THEY WERE
UNFAIRLY TARGETED
UNFAIRLY TARGETED AND ESSENTIALLY PAINTED WITH A
BROAD BRUSH AND YOU KNOW, THEY
WERE SEEN AS AS THE PROBLEM
WHEN THEY SAY THAT, YOU KNOW,
OFFICERS LIKE THEIR CHILDREN IN
MINNEAPOLIS ARE THE PROBLEM SO
THEY FEEL AS IF THEY WERE
PAINTED WITH A BROAD BRUSH.
SO YES, THAT IS THE ISSUE
OF RECRUITMENT IS SOMETHING
THAT WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT
AND SOMETHING THAT VERY MANY
POLICE OFFICERS ARE DEALING
WITH RIGHT NOW AND NOT JUST IN
PORTLAND BUT ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> OKAY,