Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police report shows rising violent and property crime; department outlines staffing and scheduling responses
Summary
The Portland Police Department reported a 10% increase in violent crime from 2023 to 2024 and a 42% increase in property crime in the same period. Major Jason King told the committee that staffing shortages have reduced proactive policing and described scheduling and recruiting steps intended to restore capacity.
The Portland Police Department presented crime trends and operational steps to the Health and Human Services Committee on Feb. 11, reporting year‑over‑year rises in violent and property crime and describing a set of administrative responses.
Major Jason King said the department recorded a 10% increase in violent crime from 2023 to 2024 and a 31% increase since 2020; he attributed much of the recent rise to gun violence. The department logged 10 homicides in the past three years, King said, a total that matches a prior multiyear span.
Property crime has risen as well, King said, with a 42% increase from 2023 to 2024 and motor vehicle thefts and larcenies returning to pre‑pandemic levels. King told the committee that some of the increase in reported property crimes reflects higher use of online reporting tools that make it easier for residents to file reports.
King said proactive, officer‑initiated activity has declined since 2014 and that staffing shortages are a major driver. The department has 29 sworn vacancies against an authorized strength of 58, he said. To address operational strain, King described a new patrol schedule implemented Jan. 12 that reduces five or six team rotations into five patrol teams and staggers shift change times to better match call‑volume peaks. He said the changes yield more officers on the street at critical times and have reduced forced overtime except for snow‑removal‑related needs.
King also said the department is pursuing grants for a crime analyst in residence to build real‑time dashboards, is producing monthly lieutenant reports to identify problems earlier and has assigned a lieutenant to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to guarantee training seats for incoming officers. He described additional recruiting work, including assigning a sergeant to full‑time recruiting coordination with human resources.
Committee members asked about reporting software performance and forced overtime levels. King acknowledged continuing issues with the department’s records system and said the department engages external support to improve access to data. He said that, because of the schedule changes and voluntary overtime, the department had recently avoided forced overtime except for parking/snow‑loader coverage.
No formal action was taken; the department said it would continue to present data to staff and report on the effect of schedule changes and other initiatives.
