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City officials credit coordinated prevention and ceasefire work with declines in shootings and homicides
Summary
City public-safety officials told the City Council’s work session that the Office of Violence Prevention and Portland Ceasefire have helped reduce shootings and gun homicides year over year and outlined programs aimed at outreach, place-based prevention and hospital interventions.
Portland’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and the Portland Ceasefire program are central elements in a year of declining shootings and gun homicides, city officials said Jan. 9 during a public-safety work session.
“Gun violence in Portland has been an incredibly alarming and serious problem,” Stephanie Howard, director of community safety, told the City Council. She said data show gun violence rose sharply between 2019 and 2022 but that recent investments and coordination across bureaus helped cut total shooting incidents 21% and gun homicides 10% year over year.
Howard described OVP’s work as community engagement, grants to community organizations and programming aimed at young people during high-risk periods such as spring break and summer. Under OVP are place-based projects — the Safe Blocks program — and Rose City Self Defense, a volunteer-backed program offering free self-defense classes aimed at girls, women and LGBTQ+ community members. Howard said Rose City Self Defense had 30 volunteers and would add 24 volunteers imminently.
Portland Ceasefire, Howard said, uses a weekly shooting review process to identify people at highest risk, then assigns intensive case managers for daily outreach and services. Howard said the program links to hospital-based interventions (Healing Hurt People) and is working with community partners to reach people experiencing homelessness and addiction, including a planned peer-to-peer effort with POIC.
The officials emphasized that the reductions reflect multidisciplinary work: OVP, Ceasefire, Portland Police and community partners. Howard framed the response as long-term, data-guided intervention rather than a single tactic.
Officials said more detailed funding and structure recommendations will be submitted in response to a budget note directing a deeper analysis of these programs.
Looking ahead, Howard said a recruitment for OVP leadership was planned in the first quarter, and that her office will push for granular budget and program recommendations so the council can consider sustained funding and structure.
