FILE: Portland police watch a protester in front of Portland State University’s Branford Price Millar Library, May 2, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Changes are coming for Portland’s police unit that investigate crimes like burglaries, stolen cars, arsons and identity theft, police officials said Wednesday.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day has notified the agency he plans to reassign the unit’s three detectives and a sergeant to other units. The transfers are expected to be completed by the end of July, agency spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen told OPB.
The move comes as Portland police have seen fewer calls about property crimes recently, according to agency data. Reports of killings, assaults, sex offenses and other person crimes have not dropped as much.
“Change is always difficult, but it is imperative that we make these important decisions when it comes to using our resources to address the most egregious crimes,” Day said in an email to officers.
The reassignment idea came from top brass at the agency’s investigations branch, according to Allen. He said the move is not a result of crime trends, but due to officers retiring and being promoted.
“Ultimately, they know best how to effectively manage their resources,” he said. “This is not unusual. Positions get moved around all the time.”
The Property Crime Unit’s three detectives will soon report to the Special Victims Unit and the Sex Crimes Unit. The sergeant is heading to patrol.
Allen said three officers from the unit will become acting detectives. The vacancies aren’t expected to be backfilled immediately. Remaining positions will be “filled by trainees who are completing their probationary periods.”
The move comes months after a highly public launch of task forces that specialize in thwarting auto and retail theft. The bureau and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office jointly launched those last summer.
“I have no doubt that Chief Day is making hard decisions with limited resources,” said outgoing Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt in a statement to OPB. “But to lose the few property detectives we had will be a blow to victims of property crime and our ability to hold people accountable.”
Allen said the agency didn’t expect to see any change in the task forces.
According to available statistics, Portland police have recorded a 12% drop in reports of property crimes from 2022 to 2023. Reports of person crimes dropped 1%.
Reports of burglaries, which often require more investigation than other property crimes, dropped from 5,992 in 2022 to 4,995 last year. Portland police made 291 burglary arrests in 2023, data showed, and 373 the year prior.
Allen stressed that the policework around property crimes will continue.