Portland's South East Police Precinct to Close...

My brother, an officer at SE, says that under the guise of saving money, the city has decided to close SE, move the Radio Operations into the SE Precinct building (the RO have the building they're in now leased through the end of 2009, already paid for). The personnel, cars, and equipment from SE will be divided between Central and East Precincts. There is no plan whatsoever as to how anything is to be divided. Oh, and it's all to be done by July 1st.

If you are in SE and will be affected this, public protest is the only way SE will remain open.

If this post doesn't sink to the tune of chirping crickets, I'll get the list of people to e-mail about it.

Thanks. :)

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm smack in the middle of SE and I don't like this one bit.

My brother is going to send me an e-mail with all the talking points and negative consequences of closing the Precinct as well as other info.

The city is trying their best to hide what they are doing. Public protest is absolutely the ONLY way to stop the closing of the precinct.

:(

Editor's Note: The following is the public information sheet that will be given to the community and
the media.
Portland Police Bureau: Restructuring Precincts Proposal
~ Reallocate resources to form three precincts: East, Northeast and Central Precincts
~ Increase number of officers on the street even during a budget cut environment
~ Maintain a police presence and neighborhood contact offices at North and Southeast Precincts
by relocating the Training Division to North Precinct and relocating the Traffic Division and
the Tactical Operations Division (TOD) to Southeast Precinct

Proposed Savings
$3,609,469 (2.60%) + $3,500,000 (2.51 % earmarked funds). Total reduction: 5.11%

Current Situation
Mayor Sam Adams has asked Bureau Directors to prepare 2.5% and 5% cut packages for fiscal year
200911 0 based on economic forecasts that a 2.2% cut across the City's General Fund would be neces-
sary.

Recent forecasts for the remainder of this fiscal year and fiscal year 2009/10 have worsened consider-
ably in recent weeks and at least a 5% cut appears more likely at the present time.
Bureau Directors are being asked to make significant (but not yet determined) cuts to their current
budgets.

The Police Bureau adopted a 5-precinct plan in 1994, increasing from 3 precincts to 5 precincts with
no additional personnel. In recent years, the Police Bureau has lost both sworn and non-sworn posi-
tions and has been given responsibility for the School Resource function, without adding personnel.
The Police Bureau has been challenged to keep precincts open and struggled with a precinct structure
that its staffing levels cannot support.

The police bureau is fractured with specialty units and non patrol assignments which has continued to drain the number of officers available for patrol.

Other Factors
The Traffic Division, which would move to Southeast Precinct, is currently housed in a facility that is
inadequate, not very accessible to the community and badly in need of repair. There is currently
$3.5 million earmarked in the City's budget to relocate the Traffic Division to an undetermined site.
Note: This proposal calls for the Tactical Operations Division (TaD) to also move to Southeast Pre-
cinct in order to ensure adequate room for the North Precinct personnel to Northeast Precinct.
The Training Division is currently housed in two separate locations: the Justice Center and Camp
Withycombe. Camp Withycombe is scheduled to be demolished in the near future to make way for an
expanded highway.

The 3.5 million “earmarked” was never actually set aside or given to the bureau to spend, so it was never the bureau's to “give back”. The savings are fictitious.

The Traffic Division just renewed their lease on the building they currently occupy for another year. $400,000 has already been paid to lease the building through February of 2010. Moving into SE Precinct saves no money at all.

Camp Withycombe has been “scheduled for demolition” for the past 15 years. There is no immediate need to vacate.

Effects of Proposal
• Condensing the Precincts allows the Police to cut budgeted management and support positions, while
increasing the actual number of officers on the street by an estimated 21 officers.

Portland Police Bureau: Restructuring Precincts Proposal
The precinct restructuring plan allows for police to still be present in every building currently
serving as a police precinct. In addition, North and Southeast Precinct will also serve as neighborhood
contact offices, all owing community members to access forms and information and talk directly to a
Police Desk Clerk.

It has not been determined what access patrol officers will have to either building. The SE Precinct building is in NE Precinct under the new configuration. Call for service -walk ins- will be handled by NE officers. Community members who wish to speak to a SE officer will have to go to or contact Central Precinct, which is located in downtown Portland.

The precinct restructuring plan will keep the buildings accessible to the community. All precincts
maintain community meeting space, where Police Bureau members will engage with community
neighborhood groups. Central Precinct will be open on a 24/7 basis; East and NE on a Monday-Frid
7am to Ilpm basis; and the Training (North) and Traffic (SE) on a Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm ba

The relocation of the Traffic Division to Southeast 47th and Burnside will free up $3.5 million ear
marked for a new location and consequently, avoid a cut of up to 55 police positions in the Police
Bureau's fiscal year 2009/2010 budget submission.

Most of the 55 officer positions are empty and are likely to remain so. No officers are being laid off, these are positions which for budgetary and lack of Police Academy positions have and will continue to be unfilled.
Traffic could be reassigned to the Precincts like the School Resource Officers are. The Traffic Investigation Unit could be housed in a smaller space within the Bureau.

The precinct restructuring plan will save nearly $500,000 a year in leases and miscellaneous mainte-
nance fees for the facilities that currently house the Training Division and the Traffic Division.

Response times would not be impacted because district officers and their specific patrol assignments
would remain unchanged.

Response times from Central Precinct at shift change are going to be much longer due to the proximity of patrol cars (1st/Jefferson garage), then crossing over the river; barring a blockage, traffic accident, bridge lift, etc.. Officers from the previous shift will be held over with “late calls”, thus incurring overtime.

The three precincts' physical locations will be more centrally located to the patrol areas they serve.

This does not factor in topography, traffic conditions, etc..

Precincts will continue to have Neighborhood Response Team officers and precinct property crime
detectives to assist patrol officers in community problem solving and reducing drug and drug-related
property crimes.

The actual number of positions is being reduced with no clear plan as to who will shoulder the workload; which remains the same.

Conclusion
This proposal is a balanced effort to maintain command and control of the Police Bureau while minimizing the impact of budget cuts on the services it currently provides to the citizens of Portland. It was created after a process that included input from community stakeholders, Bureau members and citizens from the Bureau's Budget Advisory Committee. There was strong support among these stakeholders for precinct restructuring as an alternative to deep cuts in programs and/or officer positions.

The affected neighborhoods were not consulted, nor the rank and file officers.

Though it is understandable that people will become concerned about this proposal, it needs to be considered in light of an economic time that is nearly unprecedented. This proposal allows the City of Portland to increase officers on the street, while also continuing to provide effective police services in a more economical way.

The restructuring has been in the works for over a year. The economic crisis is a convenient selling point. There are no plans to abandon restructuring even if funds are found to offset the proposed cuts. There are many other cost saving options available. The restructuring plan is being touted as the only way to go, when in fact it is just a shuffling of resources. The closing of SE Precinct does not provide any substantial savings. There are huge logistical problems in moving 50+ officers to Central; lockers, office space, computers, patrol car parking, personal car parking, and community access, just to name a few. The impact on the inner SE community remains to be seen. The fact that approximately half of the current SE officers will now be assigned to Central Precinct now opens the possibility that inner SE will have to compete with the Downtown Business Alliance for police services.

Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:40:22 -0800
Subject: Southeast Community Policing Forum notes 02.25.2009

Good Afternoon,

Thank you to all the folks who attended the recent Southeast Community Policing Forum on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Your comments, ideas and suggestions regarding the Portland Police Bureau's Precinct Restructuring Proposal were captured and are listed below, as well as included as an attachment. Many people voiced a connection to Southeast Precinct and an even stronger connection to the officers.

Southeast Community Policing Forum meeting notes
Community concerns and questions raised at the February 25, 2009 Southeast Community Policing Forum regarding the restructuring of Southeast Precinct into East, Northeast and Central Precincts.

Possible increase in response times from PPB

Logistics, travel time for officers to patrol districts from their assigned precincts
What happens during Rose Festival and other times when resources are allocated downtown? What will be the priorities of service?

The Willamette River is a natural barrier between downtown and Southeast Portland. What happens when bridges are up or other traffic issues create a barrier to getting officers to Southeast Portland? The new precinct boundaries cut across natural and man-made boundaries such as I-84 and the Willamette River.

Why isn't the 920 patrol district being considered to move to Northeast district to try to keep the Southeast neighborhoods, especially 721 from being split between several precincts? For the same reasons, can patrol district 931 be moved to Northeast?

PPB patrol districts should match neighborhood boundaries

In keeping with our community policing model, why didn't this conversation happen previous to the proposed plan by the Chief's office?

The community priority regarding the consolidation plan is that Portland Police not split neighborhoods between two and three precincts.

PPB should work with neighborhoods if splits are a necessity to come up with a plan that works for both PPB and neighborhoods

Request that an evaluation be done early on (3-6 moths) with the community and police to talk about how the transition has been made and what issues need to be addressed

"Hot spot" areas in both East and Central Precinct will take extra resources from district officers in Southeast neighborhoods. What will be done to mitigate this?

The inner Southeast Neighborhoods should consider continuing to meet as their own PSAC or Community Policing Forum

Residents were concerned that there would be less communication and exchange between officers with the new precinct alignments, especially those that share neighborhoods that are split between two or more precincts

There might be a reduction in the communication between neighborhood associations and Portland Police with the new, bigger precincts

Neighbors were concerned about the human relations aspect and the fate of community policing with the increased sizes of the precincts. What will happen to the community policing relationships already developed?

Neighbors don't want NRT teams to be cut with the consolidation of the precincts

Possibility of losing great officers with neighborhood knowledge and relationships because of the move

This proposal is not community policing. The precinct consolidation plan was a top down process rather than a process that involved the officers, the community, crime prevention and other stakeholders. The process would be been much better if both the officers and community were involved sooner .



If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact either one of your Crime Prevention Program Coordinators:
Havilah Ferschweiler at 503-823-0540 or hferschweiler@ci.portland.or.us or
Katherine Anderson at 503-823-3432 or kanderson@ci.portland.or.us

As discussed and requested in the meeting, here is contact information for the Portland Police Bureau and City Council:

Portland Police Bureau Marsha Palmer 503-823-0264 or Marsha.Palmer@portlandpolice.org
City Council Mayor Sam Adams 503-823-4120 Samadams@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Amanda Fritz 503-823-3008 amanda@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Nick Fish 503-823-3589 Nick@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Randy Leonard 503-823-4682 randy@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Dan Saltzman 503-823-4151 dsaltzman@ci.portland.or.us

Make your voice heard before it's too late!

Thanks!

Hello Hawthorne, (and other interested parties)
>
>
>
> I am very concerned that Hawthorne will get less adequate police coverage if
>
> we lose SE Precinct. The new precincts will be huge geographical areas, and
>
> we will be on the far edge of two different precincts. Officers will have
>
> to cross a bridge and/or drive 20 minutes to get to Hawthorne from each
>
> precinct. And the current officers who know our district well will not
>
> necessarily be working in our area anymore.
>
>
>
> I happened to run into a police officer today after the HBBA meeting and got
>
> some interesting information about the precinct splitting. He says it is
>
> not a "done deal" and suggested that we protest it loudly and strongly (and
>
> immediately). Apparently it is controversial within the police and the
>
> city, with many officers and city folk unclear on why it is happening. The
>
> excuse is that it will save money but that doesn't seem to be the case. The
>
> current SE Precinct building would become the Traffic Division, which is
>
> currently housed near the Hawthorne Bridge in a building that has a lease
>
> until 2010. So they would not actually be able to close any buildings, and
>
> they would have the same number of staff. Apparently Commander Sizer has
>
> not given a clear explanation of why she wants to do this, but it may have
>
> more to do with her personal vision for what she would like the internal
>
> structure to be, rather than any reason that can be explained to anyone
>
> else.
>
>
>
> Apparently the plan was presented to the City Council but had some
>
> significant gaps and question marks, such as who would head each of the 3
>
> precincts. So there may still be some time to object. Sizer wants to push
>
> this through by July, but I think it needs to be slowed down so there is
>
> time for transparency and good judgment.
>
>
>
> It was suggested to me that we write directly to the Commissioners to
>
> express our concerns, especially Saltzman and Leonard.
>
> Copy and paste this line into your To field: dan@ci.portland.or.us;
>
> nick@ci.portland.or.us; amanda@ci.portland.or.us; nick@ci.portland.or.us or
>
> contact them individually below:
>
>
>
> Commissioner Dan Saltzman
>
>1221 SW 4th Ave. Rm. 230
>Portland, Oregon 97204
>Phone: 503 823-4151
>Fax: 503.823.3036
>Email: dan@ci.portland.or.us> dan@ci.portland.or.us
>

> Commissioner Randy Leonard
>(503) 823-4682
>fax (503) 823-4019 or
>emailrleonard@ci.portland.or.us emailrleonard@ci.portland.or.us>
>
>
>Commissioner Amanda Fritz
>
>1221 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 220
>
> Portland, Oregon 97204
>
503-823-3008
>amanda@ci.portland.or.us
>
>

Commissioner Nick Fish
>
> 1221 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 240
>
> Portland, Oregon 97204
>
> Nick's Office Front Desk: 503-823-3589
>
> nick@ci.portland.or.us
>
>Thanks,
>
>Karin Edwards
>Certified Rolfer
>503-230-0087
>www.portlandrolfer.com http://www.portlandrolfer.com/>