EXCLUSIVE! Although he says crime is down, find out why Portland Police Chief Bob Day warned outer East Portland neighbors that City budget cuts could undo recent public safety gains …
Neighbors from northern outer East Portland neighborhoods gather in the Rossi Farms barn for a conversation with Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Portland Police Chief Bob Day met with East Portland residents on Tuesday evening, April 14, and told them that while many livability problems they were describing were “very real”, overall crime citywide had fallen in the past couple of years.
The gathering, held in outer East Portland at Rossi Farms, mixed Day’s prepared remarks with questions from neighbors and a short follow‑up interview.
Before the meeting gets underway, PPB Chief Bob Day chats with guests.
Genevieve Rossi welcomed attendees, and introduced Chief Day.
“We have no doubt come through a rough patch,” Day observed, referring to recent years of protests, gun violence, and staffing shortages. “But the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. We need to be looking forward – and really looking for ways to move the organization forward.”
Chief Day tells of his three goals for the PPB.
A David Douglas High School graduate, Day reminded the group he grew up in outer East Portland, and returned as Chief in 2023, after previously retiring as the PPB’s Deputy Chief.
Three goals for the bureau
Day went on to outline three goals he described as the Bureau’s “true north”.
First, he wants to transform the dynamic between the police and the people they serve. He stressed that he viewed the Bureau as part of the community – not separate from it. “I want our officers to see themselves as part of the community, and I want the community to see the police as part of the community,” he clarified.
Second, he is focusing on reducing crime and the fear of crime. While crime numbers matter, Day argued that fear can be more damaging than just the statistics alone. “If we can instill a sense of safety, we tend to engage more, be out more, and be more willing to lean into one another, and really build that social contract,” he said.
Third, he is emphasizing organizational growth and development. Day described himself as “unapologetically inwardly-focused” on the health of Portland’s roughly 800 sworn officers and 200 professional staff members, reasoning that how they are doing internally shows up in their daily contacts with the public. “If those folks aren’t emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially healthy, and feel supported… then that translates back to [working harder on] goal number one.”
Crime trends: Numbers improving, but fear persists
Responding to a neighbor’s question about whether things were actually getting better, Day pointed to downward trends in homicides, robberies, burglaries, and stolen cars.
Theft at the Parkrose Grocery Outlet and violence at NE Sandy Boulevard motels remain a concern, conceded PPB North Precinct Captain Chris Burley.
He compared the eight homicides in March of last year to the one homicide this March, estimating homicides were down by roughly 30–40 percent. He also said that car theft, which had hit about 1,000 stolen vehicles a month in 2023, by now had dropped to around 400 a month, citywide.
Retail theft, which Day recalled had surged nearly 88 percent a few years ago, has begun to level off, he reported – while cautioning that reducing theft from local stores remains a priority – including outer East Portland businesses, such as the Parkrose Grocery Outlet market.
“It’s all very real perception,” he acknowledged of neighbors’ anxiety. “But the overall crime numbers really have trended down considerably in the last couple of years.”
Street takeovers, RVs, and hit-and-runs
Day also fielded questions about street takeovers, RV camps, and hit-and-run crashes.
He described street takeovers as “definitely high risk for community,” pointing out that recent enforcement after one event in North Portland turned up firearms during vehicle stops.
Both North and East Precinct Neighborhood Response Teams are clearing ‘camping clusters’ reports Chief Day.
On unsheltered homelessness, Day said Neighborhood Response Teams had been heavily involved in clearing clusters of RVs along Marine Drive and SE Foster Road, working alongside outreach teams. Crews focus first on moving people toward shelter, he explained, then use citations, warrant enforcement, and time‑place‑manner restrictions only when necessary.
He also conceded the Police Bureau was behind on hit-and-run investigations, with fewer investigators forcing PPB to focus on the most serious and violent cases first. “I’d like to get back to where we could address all crimes effectively, but right now that’s just not available to us.”
Staffing: Applications up, resources tight
Asked about the chronically low Police Bureau staffing levels by East Portland News, Day confirmed a recent staffing review found that Portland continues to have relatively few officers per capita compared with other major cities.
“It really demonstrated what we’ve already known to be true – that we have historically struggled at being able to maintain the staffing levels really needed to meet the expectations of Portlanders,” he reflected.
The Portland Police Bureau, Chief Day says, remains historically understaffed.
Day put the Bureau’s current strength at about 820–822 fully certified officers, with roughly 100 recruits and newer officers somewhere in the pipeline between academy and field training.
Recruitment and applications have improved, he reported, but he cautioned that “we have a long ways to go”, because many applicants do not pass the Bureau’s hiring standards.
Budget shortfall and civic engagement
Looking ahead, Day warned that Portland faces about a $165 million budget shortfall, and he urged residents to contact their new District-based Councilors as the Mayor’s proposed budget moves through the City Council over the next several weeks.
“There are going to be significant cuts – there is no way about it,” he cautioned. Rather than lobbying in favor of the Bureau as a whole, he encouraged residents to tell elected officials “what your priorities are, the things that are important to you, the things that you value.”
Regarding the City’s budgeting process, “This is not a police against fire, police against parks conversation,” Chief Day stresses.
Day made his request for support specific: “I ask that when people go forward, they don’t have to say, ‘I think Bob Day is amazing, or the Police Bureau is incredible.’ I do ask that you would go and share with your leaders… what your priorities are, the things that are important to you, the things that you value, the things that affect your day‑to‑day life.”
He thanked neighbors for turning out, and remarked that their engagement with the city – even on a difficult topic – will help shape what public safety looks like on the east side of town in the years ahead.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
