Multnomah County, city and Portland Police form joint operations team to study enhanced security at Central Library

Multnomah County Library Director Annie Lewis told the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 1 that the county, the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau have formed a joint operations team to coordinate responses and study enhanced security measures at Central Library following a fatal shooting near the building July 1.

The briefing summarized short‑term steps already taken, immediate operational changes and a multi‑month review of potential longer‑term measures. Lewis said the team will return to the board in September with a complete analysis of options and recommendations.

The library has increased contracted security officers at Central Library from four to seven during open hours, Lewis said, noting that the FY26 budget had been based on three officers. The library will absorb about $400,000 in additional costs in FY26 for those added officers, she said. Lewis also reported a 22% drop in reported security incidents at Central Library during July compared with the most recent data update.

Library and county officials described a range of measures under study. The options include weapons detection at building entrances (metal detectors, bag searches or wanding), installation of vapor sensors in restrooms to detect certain illegal drugs, temporary removal of some exterior benches as part of a balustrade restoration project and adjustments to Wi‑Fi access to limit it to library open hours.

"Any metal detection or weapons detection system is considered an administrative search, by the state of Oregon, and it would require an ordinance from the board," Lewis said during the briefing. She estimated initial annual costs for a weapons detection program—including equipment and additional staffing to manage screening queues—at roughly $750,000, subject to change after vendor and operational analysis.

Portland Police Bureau representatives said the bureau will continue to partner with the joint operations group. Robert King, chief of staff for Portland Police Bureau Chief Robert Day, said Central Precinct has increased bike squad patrols and is sharing response and incident data with the operations group to inform tactics.

Library Director Lewis described the library as "one of the last truly public spaces where everyone is welcome" and said officials must balance access and inclusion with staff and patron safety. Dorothy Elmore, Multnomah County director of workplace security, emphasized combined training between library staff and contract security and said that weapons screening can be effective when operators are properly trained.

Several commissioners asked about short‑term and long‑term strategies, use of behavioral health resources and metrics to measure the effect of changes. Officials said the operations team is developing metrics and baseline data to track progress and will meet every other week; library staff input and community engagement were planned for August with a final report to the board in September.

The briefing also noted outreach to businesses around the library and coordination with city partners—including the Portland Environmental Management Office and Portland Street Response—to broaden the set of responses available to behavioral health and encampment issues near Central.

Officials did not present a motion or formal vote on the security options at the briefing; the board requested the September report and continued coordination among city and county partners.