Police
Bike and walk advocates join calls for major police reform
“Our business has historically been in trying to build the best bike network possible, but our work is meaningless if public space is not safe for everyone.”— Bike Loud PDX co-chairs
Portland Police officers drove SUVs into people on the street last night
After Monday’s peaceful protest, even more people took to the streets last night to march against racism and policy brutality. While the protest was largely peaceful for many hours, there were several instances of more aggressive actions. Reporters documented the Portland Police firing tear gas and flash-bangs into peaceful crowds indiscriminately, causing shock and horror … Read more
Scofflaw car drivers are keeping police very busy
Whether it’s the Coronavirus Effect, a general sense of lawlessness, lack of concern about consequences, or all of the above — the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division has been very busy with dangerous drivers recently. You’ve likely seen the headlines about a spike in speeding. This is happening for the aforementioned reasons and because the … Read more
Police make 46 stops in 5 hours during crosswalk enforcement missions on SE Foster, Hawthorne
What does it take for people to stop when someone’s trying to cross the road? How about being on a commercial corridor full of shops? Maybe crosswalks with median islands and flashing lights? Perhaps a pandemic that asks everyone to lighten the load of first responders and hospitals? How about the presence of police officers … Read more
Slow then go: Checking in on Oregon’s new stop sign law
I don’t want to jinx it, but we’re 44 days into being an “Idaho Stop” state and the sky hasn’t fallen. I haven’t heard of any crashes caused by confusion over Oregon’s new law, and there have been (remarkably) zero biased news stories or crazy op-eds about it.
Hillsboro PD’s novel distracted driving sting nets 50 citations in three hours
Every city in America has a big problem when it comes to distracted driving. Most states have laws that outlaw it, but the challenge is enforcement.
Traffic Division officers star in new PPB ‘Talking Beat’ podcast
Everyone’s podcasting these days… including your local police officers. The Portland Police Bureau launched a new podcast today. The ‘Talking Beat’ aims to provide, “Thoughtful conversations that… will inform and provide you with a small glimpse of the work performed by Portland police officers as well as issues affecting public safety in our city.” Among … Read more
Comments of the Week: Perspectives on more law enforcement
As our community continues to grapple with a spate of deadly and serious injury collisions, much of the discussion in the past few days has focused on enforcement. It’s an important topic that deserves a productive debate. Out of around 260 comments in this shortened week (I was out of town Monday-Tuesday), here are three … Read more
Amid spate of collisions, Portland Police Chief calls for more enforcement
Portland’s enforcement debate.
Ask BikePortland: What should I do if a driver harassed me and police don’t take it seriously?
It’s scary to get harassed. It’s frustrating when police shrug their shoulders.
Opinion: Why words matter in police statements about traffic crashes
Let’s not come to any premature conclusions.