All Kinds of Crime Are Down in Portland

Still, the numbers aren’t yet a return to Portland’s historically low crime rates.

Garage in Southeast Portland. (Blake Benard)
By Lucas Manfield

The Portland Police Bureau published final crime numbers Monday for the month of December, confirming what top city officials have been telegraphing for months: Crime fell last year, nearly across the board.

According to PPB data, 2023 saw around 9,700 “person” crimes—such as assault, rape and murder. That’s nearly a 5% drop from the year before. Property crimes showed an even more substantial improvement, falling 13%.

These numbers reflect nationwide trends.

Mayor Ted Wheeler held a press conference last week trumpeting the drop in homicides and shootings, joined by top city officials who described the city’s recent efforts to address crime, including community outreach and additional patrols. Still, the numbers aren’t yet a return to Portland’s historically low crime rates.

Wheeler was flanked by Police Chief Bob Day and Mike Myers, director of Portland’s Community Safety Division.

“We’re not sitting here popping champagne corks,” Wheeler said. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

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