Portland Poised to Pay Cops Double for Overtime

It’s the latest effort by the bureau to get more police on the streets.

LAWMEN: Portland police officers walk and talk. (Brian Burk)
By Lucas Manfield

Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed paying cops double their normal pay to work overtime. Currently, officers make one-and-a-half times their normal pay to work extra shifts. The proposal is up for a vote by the Portland City Council next week.

“The pilot program is aimed at further incentivizing officers and sergeants to voluntarily work patrol backfill. It’s a temporary proposal to address a critical need,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Kevin Allen tells WW.

Allen says, on average, patrol shifts have four fewer officers than the bureau’s minimum staffing requirements. “Many officers do work extra shifts but not enough to provide adequate service,” he explained.

The bureau currently has just over 800 sworn employees. That’s an increase from a low of 773 last September but far fewer than the mayor or bureau leaders would like.

The program will run for 60 days and will pay out up to $1 million, which will come from the bureau’s existing budget.

The City Council approved a similar pay bump for 911 dispatchers last year. Firefighters got a $100 bonus for mandatory overtime shifts in April.

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