The Portland City
Council has voted to take nearly two million dollars away from the
Portland Police Bureau and give it to Parks and Recreation instead. The
7-5 decision came after months of debate and reflects a growing trend in
the city to cut police funding in favor of other priorities, as reported by Apple News.
Mayor Keith Wilson had originally proposed increasing the police budget
to 318 million dollars, up from 308 million last year. Still, the
council voted to shift 1.9 million of those funds to keep parks afloat.
This decision comes on the heels of Councilor Candace Avalos’ push to move the money,
citing the needs of parks in her district. Avalos argued it was not
about cutting police effectiveness but about a balanced approach to
public safety.
Chief Bob Day pushed back, saying these cuts would have real
consequences, including less overtime for cracking down on street
racing, car theft, and shoplifting. “This is not the time to make these
adjustments,” Day warned.
“This is a time to build up what we’re doing and improve response times and property crime investigations.”
The
decision to cut police funding is not new for Portland. In April,
Portlanders responded positively to support cutting police to help
balance the city budget. About 42 percent of residents said they
approved of police cuts, while 55 percent disapproved.
Councilor Steve Novick said he was surprised by the results, which showed more support for police cuts than he expected.
Critics
say these cuts are reckless at a time when the city can least afford
them. Portland Police Association President Sergeant Aaron Schmautz said
removing the 1.9 million dollars in funding was more than a cut for
inflation and would lead to a decrease in services.
Business owners like Matthew de Gruyter of Next Level Burger say they
have turned to private security because police are stretched too thin.
The Portland Timbers and Trail Blazers also warned the city that pulling
funds from police will only make response times worse for everyone.
This debate comes as other liberal cities face chaos over public safety and immigration issues. In Los Angeles, violent riots broke out in June over ICE raids, prompting Marines to be deployed to restore order.
Portland’s
city council insists that police funding is still going up overall.
However, with inflation and cost-of-living increases, Chief Day says the
reality is that police services will be cut to make up the difference.
The numbers are clear: police funding is not keeping up with rising
costs. While parks may get a short-term boost, Portland’s residents are
left to wonder how long they can count on police to keep the city safe.
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