Portland police increase patrols in downtown to arrest drug dealers

PORTLAND, Ore. — Monday morning, Leo sat on a sidewalk in Old Town, surrounded by his homeless friends — with one eye on Portland police officers. It's an aspect of street life that he knows all too well.

“The first time I was arrested here, I lost everything I could have used to go somewhere, like my ID, my birth certificate… I don't get arrested anymore, but I was arrested like every day,” he said. .

Three weeks ago, the Portland police cycle squad — widely known for its response to the city's fentanyl crisis — increased its patrols and added more officers to cover nights and weekends. The effort “keeps that pressure” on drug dealers, according to Officer David Baer of the Portland Police Bureau.

“They might think they are, but they really aren't, because every time they arrest one, there are ten more to replace that person,” Leo said, sounding skeptical about to the biker team's efforts to target dealers.

Police video from last week shows agents and state troopers arresting several drug dealers at gunpoint in areas they call downtown “hot spots,” including the South Park Blocks, the Safeway at Southwest Jefferson Street and 10th Avenue and the neighboring Plaid Pantry – as well as the streets. of the old town.

Baer said Monday it was too early for the cycling team to have data on how many people have been arrested since the hours were extended or how much drugs have been confiscated.

“It's still early. We're in the third week, so the data isn't fully available yet, but it's busy,” he said.

Mark Lion and his wife live in one of these hot spots, and he said they haven't seen big changes yet.

“Not in the area where we live, especially in the Park Blocks,” Lion said, adding that he and his wife still saw people sleeping on benches and using drugs, but that he never felt threatened.

“We've kind of spread out. We're pretty much everywhere in downtown now and we hope to continue those efforts as the summer progresses,” Baer said.

However, others interviewed by KGW said they doubted the police crackdown would stop drug users and those living on the streets from using or buying their drugs.

“There will always be drugs and people will always find them,” said Angel, who is homeless in Old Town.

As the cycling team focuses on arresting drug dealers, they will soon see changes in how they respond to people using and possessing hard drugs. Come September, simple possession will once again be a felony in Oregon, under House Bill 4002. In some cases, people will have the option to enter treatment or behavioral health services instead of jail. On Monday, Portland police said they were still figuring out how it would work.