Portland Police dealing with a lack of manpower as a new wave of violence hits the city after three months of continuous protests, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Officials in the Portland Police Bureau said 159 have been injured by shootings versus only 88 at the same point last year. However, only one has been connected directly with the protest.
“There is no way for the Police Bureau to know exact causes for increased gun violence, but eliminating the unit dedicated to preventing and investigating gun violence full time can’t have helped,” Lt. Greg Pashley, a spokesman for the department, said.
Budget cuts and an increase in retirements have hampered the department’s efforts to put enough police on the street to control daily protests. Between May and mid-August, the department paid out $6.8 million. And nearby jurisdiction stopped giving police assistance to help Portland with the protests out of fear of getting ensnared in the controversy, officials said.
“I have never seen the police bureau so stressed, personal-strength-wise, never,” Jim Ferraris, president of the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police, who worked with the Portland Police Bureau for close to 30 years before becoming chief in Woodburn, Oregon.
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