Portland commissioners vote to end bike patrol contract with Clean and Safe in Old Town
by Katherine Kisiel, KATU Staff
Watch the video: https://katu.com/news/politics/portland-commissioners-end-bike-patrol-contract-with-clean-and-safe-in-old-town
PORTLAND, Ore. — In just two years, Clean and Safe will no longer be paying Portland Police Bureau bike officers to patrol Old Town.
In a 3-2 vote Wednesday, Portland city commissioners ended the contract with Clean and Safe, the nonprofit that's been paying for cleanup in the Old Town area, which includes four PPB bike officers.
PREVIOUS STORY: City considers transitioning funding of bike patrol to the Portland Police Bureau
Commissioner Mingus Mapps voted against it.
"I vote no. One of the things that’s clear is that it introduces uncertainty, even if it’s four years out. Given the fact that we have dozens of shootings and hundreds of assaults downtown, I think the people who live and work downtown deserve more reassurance and support from the city," said Mapps.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty also voted against it saying the two-year phase out was too long.
Commissioner Carmen Rubio released a statement saying, "A majority of my colleagues supported my amendment because it will improve safety and services without interruption. We now have two years to work with the police bureau to ensure a smooth, sound transition, resulting in enhanced services for all Portlanders -- including those in the Clean and Safe district."
In the next two years, Portland police will study the data in the Old Town area to see where their resources would best serve public safety. While they say they want to keep the bike patrol intact, PPB admits the officers could be diverted to more emergent calls.
"We are very supportive of having bikes downtown. The citizens and the businesses love seeing the bikes downtown, so we’d like to have them back out. It’s just really challenging for us to say yes, we’ll have bikes out in that fourth year or not," said PPB.