Portland Police Response Times Stretch to 27 Minutes as Staffing Crisis Worsens, Report Says

PORTLAND, Ore. — A recent report from a nonprofit organization has highlighted the devastating effects of Portland’s police shortage, which has turned the bureau into an emergency-only operation, leaving far less capacity for proactive patrol, traffic enforcement, overdose investigations, and specialized units.

Report Highlights Low Portland Police Numbers Compared With Population

An Oregon Criminal Justice Truth Project report, “Portland’s Police Staffing Crisis,” ranked Portland 47th out of 50 major cities in terms of officers per capita.

Several people who were at one point involved with Oregon’s justice system in some way are members of the nonprofit, which was founded in 2024.

The report compared current staffing levels to those in the early 1990s, despite the massive growth. The report indicates that:

• Chronic understaffing delays 911 emergency response times across the city, putting lives at risk. Between 2015 and 2019, officers responded to emergency calls in about 7 to 8 minutes. In contrast, in 2024 and 2025, that response time increased to 20 to 27 minutes.
• Inadequate staffing limits the ability to achieve desired community/neighborhood-based policing, visibility, and crime prevention.
• Portland has the second-highest property crime rate in the U.S. Inadequate staffing creates the perception and reality that Portland is an unsafe city.
• Innovative public safety reforms are constrained by staffing shortages, which limit essential partnerships between police and behavioral health specialists.
• Low police staffing and a lack of public safety compound economic problems, contributing to business closures, job losses, and declining investor confidence in the city.

The staffing gap persists despite increased funding from the city council in recent years and a steady flow of applications. Yet the Portland Police Bureau still has 55 funded positions unfilled.

But other research suggests that having more officers does not necessarily mean a city is safer.

Some research recommends concentrating police officers at criminal hot spots to reduce serious crime, but there are many other factors to consider when measuring officers per capita.

The report suggests that investment must be paired with clear performance metrics to track impact and guide course correction over time.