December 20 2020
UPDATE: Shootings and death increase after the City Council eliminated the Portland Police Bureau s Gun Violence Reduction Team.
Police have identified the victim in Friday s shooting in The North Portland Eliot Neighborhood.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner has determined that Kelley Marie Smith, 53, died from a gunshot wound and has ruled her death a homicide.
The investigation began at about 6:54 p.m. on Dec. 17 when North Precinct officers responded to a report of a shooting near North Vancouver Avenue and North Stanton Street. After officers arrived, it was determined that a person at the scene was deceased.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Michael Greenlee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
December 19 2020
Officers and support staff shifted as Portland mayor asks for new spending requests after shootings double.
Portland officials have announced a series of staffing changes and upcoming budget requests intended to slow the surge of shootings in the city.
The changes and requests were announced Friday, Dec. 18, by Mayor Ted Wheeler, Chief of Police Chuck Lovell and Director of the Office of Violence Prevention Nike Greene after shootings doubled in Portland following the abolition of the Portland Police Bureau s Gun Violence Reduction Team in July following racial justice protests.
The GVRT had been criticized for focusing on members of the Black community at a disproportionate rate. Shootings have since doubled over the same time last year.
Created: December 15, 2020 04:50 PM
Two weeks after the death of George Floyd, Minneapolis city council members Steve Fletcher and Phillipe Cunningham gathered with seven of their colleagues in a crowded Powderhorn Park.
The group took the stage and pledged to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, while standing behind a banner that read Defund Police.
Their pledge led to a contentious budget battle last week that ultimately ended with millions of dollars of police funding being diverted into mental health response and other intervention strategies.
Sitting six feet apart in the empty city council chamber earlier this week, both Fletcher and Cunningham talked about the city s recently approved budget, the role of the police chief in their vision for the department and why their ultimate goal does not mean actually defunding police.
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How council members voted on each piece of Minneapolis new public safety plan The council pushed to cut $8 million more from the Police Department than the mayor had initially suggested. December 12, 2020 9:51am Text size Copy shortlink:
Minneapolis City Council members approved a budget this week that makes their largest changes yet to policing and public safety since George Floyd s death. Before they took a final vote, the council members voted individually on the six largest pieces of the package. On Monday, they discussed each item individually, examining the original proposals, considering alternatives and, if those failed, taking another vote on the original proposal. Here s a snapshot of how those votes went.