This holiday season, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) extended its walking beats into East Portland, providing a visible representation of law enforcement in commercial corridors while allowing officers and Portlanders to interact with one another outside the confines of a criminal investigation. For the second year, PPB Chief Bob Day instituted walking beats following the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Last year’s foot patrols in downtown Portland resulted in mostly positive feedback from the community and PPB members.
Since Friday, November 29th, Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) and sworn officers of all ranks have received special assignments to walk shopping centers and holiday community events in designated areas. Citywide foot patrols consist of two daily shifts from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. These walking beats are based on officer availability and will run until the end of 2024. PPB members walking the area serve two roles. Uniformed officers can act as a deterrent to some crimes while giving shoppers confidence that the area is safe. It also allows Police to have positive interactions with the community, greeting shoppers and wishing them a happy holiday. Not everyone responded to greetings by the two officers walking the Mall 205 shopping center on December 19th. However, people working in the shops often waived or smiled at seeing the friendly police presence.
Police leadership does not expect walking beat officers to locate crimes or investigate during the shift. Precinct command schedules sufficient officers to cover emergency calls and take reports. The special duty is in addition to regular operations. For many officers on the holiday walking beat assignment, this is a rare chance not to jump from one call to another. Since police staffing dipped four years ago, officers report shifts with near-continuous calls that leave little time for community interaction. PPB leadership sees pleasant interaction with Portlanders as a valuable duty for Police officers and one that current staffing has not permitted outside this seasonal mission. Chief Day considers this special program a way to change the dynamic between Police and the people they serve. However, this public relations supporting activity has the potential for a more significant effect beyond PPB’s perception.
Positive community interaction also benefits the PPB community, who may only see the citizenry at their worst moments during a shift. Persistent interactions with people who are frustrated at a system that allowed them to be victimized and seeing repeat offenders released to commit a new crime again can wear down the people who work in law enforcement. The effects of this condition are well known in policing circles, and it predates the calls for policing reform seen in the summer of 2020 with the subsequent drop in PPB staffing. For some Portland Police members, the walking beat can reset the compounding stresses caused by their work in this era of heightened law enforcement demand.
The program’s expansion into East Portland locations is significant for a community that has called for equitable policing. Some East Portlanders feel they receive diminished attention from PPB or the wrong type of policing. Holiday Walking Beats started as a downtown-focused program providing a soft-handed approach to public safety in an affluent area. By extending that program to East Portland, the PPB has made an effort to show parity towards the culturally diverse epicenter of the city.
With eight walking beat shifts per day in the city, many East Portland residents have already interacted with PPB members at the Montavilla Tree Lighting ceremony, Fubonn Shopping Center, Mall 205, and Gateway Shopping Center. Portlanders will continue to see PPB members in the community through the holiday season.
Update: This article was updated to remove photos that inadvertently overlapped with the site where Portland police shot and killed Tyrone Lee Johnson II. Montavilla News apologizes for the insensitivity to that loss of life.