Portland could see more shootings in 2022, averaging nearly 29 a week so far, PPB says

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland is on pace to see more shootings this year, following a record-setting year for gun violence in the Rose City in 2021.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and law enforcement leaders spoke Thursday morning, addressing the spike in shootings in the city.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said for 2022, there have been an average of nearly 29 shootings per week in Portland.

If this trend continues, Chief Lovell says there will be a little over 1,500 shootings this year, which is a 14% increase compared to last year and a 266% increase from 2019.

According to Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristen Snowden, gun violence referrals are up 450%.

The city's Focused Intervention Team (FIT) has recovered 19 firearms so far, according to Chief Lovell, and those officers have arrested 32 people for various crimes ranging from burglary to DUII. Several people have also been arrested on outstanding warrants.

Chief Lovell thanked everyone who is working hard in the community to end gun violence.

We cannot do this work alone. It takes a lot of people doing a heavy lift and working together so thank you to everyone who is taking part in that,” Chief Lovell said.

Mayor Wheeler said community safety is the top priority for his administration, announcing he has hired a new Director for Community Safety within his office, Stephanie Howard.

There is a continued effort to recruit more police officers in Portland, and retain the current officers as the number of Portland officers is at a 28-year-low.

He also noted the importance of community organizations and their efforts to reduce gun violence.

Gun violence knows no boundaries. Therefore, we see the ongoing need for commitment, for coordination, collaboration, and investments across all jurisdictions at all levels of government,” Mayor Wheeler said. “We need to come together and show we will not tolerate this brutality.

"I believe we have the right programs in place I’m determined to see gun violence be reduced in our community and obviously that would happen much faster if we had more officers, if we had more PS3s [Public Safety Support Specialists], if we had more community-based police," the mayor continued.

PS3s are not police officers, but they work with the bureau, including helping in non-emergency situations.

You can watch the full press conference below:

**EDITOR'S NOTE** - An earlier version of this story said that there were an average of 21.9 shootings a week, based off what Chief Lovell said in the press conference. The bureau has since corrected that to an average of 29.1 shootings per week in 2022.