State Sex Offender Registry State Uniform Crime Report
June, 2009
Dear Portland community residents and visitors,
First, let me thank everyone for both your warm welcome and the support you
have given to me and my family during my first month here in Portland. Portland
is a great city, both vibrant and progressive, and I am truly honored to be
selected as your Police Chief. As a public servant I am committed to working
with every part of the community to ensure that Portland remains one of the
safest cities in America. There is much to do and I am confident that together
we can make a difference.
Some of the initiatives we are working on include an enhancement to community policing, establishing youth initiatives, and reorganizing the police department in order to be more efficient and more responsive to your needs. Because our relationship with the community is critical in realizing the continued success of the Portland Police Department (PPD) we will be launching the Chiefs new Community Police Advisory Board (C-PAB) later this month. This Board will be comprised of a diverse mix of local residents and community stakeholders. Members will include but not be limited to the business community, the religious community, the media, local youth community, and educators. Board meetings will be open to all who wish to attend, with the goal of working with your police department to identify issues and concerns that are most critical to the city of Portland. This will be the Boards main priority and is truly the essence of community policing, where together we develop strategic responses in addressing community concerns. In addition we are looking to establish a Community Relations Office in order to provide greater access to the Department and better facilitate our C-PAB meetings and various Community Forums.
Many of you have heard me say how important our youth is in preparing this great city for the future. With this in mind, we are working on establishing two new key youth initiatives involving a PPD Explorer Post and a Police Athletic League (PAL). As we move forward we will be making every effort to find the monetary and staffing resources needed to support these new youth initiatives. I am excited by the interest displayed by many members of our community and I am confident that our youth programs will set the standard for many to follow.
Lastly, the Portland Police Department has provided an exceptional level of service to all who visit and call Portland home. As your new Police Chief it is an honor to work for, and with, the men and women, both sworn and civilian employees of the PPD. Our future plans include a dynamic change to our work schedule that will increase our effectiveness in addressing community concerns and responding to calls for service. One strategy will be to restructure our present beat plan by dividing the city into neighborhood districts staffed by a Senior Lead Officer (SLO) who will be a point of contact for residents. The SLO will be an integral part of our community policing efforts and will play a key role coordinating policing strategies which include addressing quality of life concerns in many of our Portland neighborhoods. The new schedule will also provide our police officers and civilians a more balanced work schedule that will give our employees deserved time off without compromising the level of service to the community.
These are truly exciting times in both the Department and this great City and I look forward to our journey together.
James E. Craig
CHIEF OF POLICE
REMEMBER: IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 911