Guest Opinion: Fund the police and change perceptions of Oregon | Opinion
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The narrative towards policing has become highly politicized and increasingly negative, resulting in community mistrust and police demoralization.
Elected leaders must lead and give police and first responders the tools needed to restore safety in all communities. Defunding police and allowing crime to rise unchecked is no solution. Over 1,000 shootings have occurred in Portland this year. By refusing to prosecute many property crimes, Multnomah County is sending the message there are no consequences for illegal and destructive behavior.
There’s a national perception of lawlessness in Oregon.
Oregon’s governor is in a unique position to set the tone and lay the foundation for re-building healthy relationships between law enforcement and communities. Relationships based on trust, transparency, and good communication.
It will take leadership to publicly support what must be done to restore Oregon’s once great reputation for having safe and vibrant communities.
Key elements of my plan to improve public safety and reduce crime:
Establish a Crime Reduction Taskforce: Every Oregonian deserves to feel safe at home, work, and in their community.
But we cannot make measurable improvements without leadership and coordination. Oregon must establish a Crime Reduction Taskforce that reports directly to the governor. The Taskforce will perform a comprehensive review of our entire criminal justice system and make actional recommendations in areas of policy, funding, and strategy.
Prioritize Recruitment, Retention, and Wellness: Establish collaboration between higher education and workforce development partners to promote career pathways for those interested in law enforcement, emergency medical technicians, and fire fighters.
Provide technical assistance and resources to police and fire departments to develop programs that build positive organizational culture and decrease stress.
Facilitate Professional Development: Guidance from the Crime Reduction Taskforce must establish meaningful training and educational standards for first responders. Police and fire departments need time and resources to deliver training on crisis management, mental health, leadership skills, and de-escalation techniques.
Focus on Community Partnership and Transparency: Rebuilding trust and improving public perception starts in the community. Law enforcement agencies can help by increasing their non-enforcement presence in communities, working with residents to identify problems, collaborate on solutions, and build awareness. It’s important to improve transparency by providing more information about stops, arrests, use of force, reported crime, complaints, and full deployment of body cameras.
Establish Behavioral Health Teams: In the last several years, communities have experienced increases in behavioral health related incidents.
Although many police officers receive training in how to handle difficult situations, they aren’t behavioral health professionals.
Every police department should have a behavioral health specialist who’s teamed with officers when responding to calls where someone is in crisis.
Additional Support for Smaller Agencies: There are many small police and fire departments that do not receive adequate support to carry out their work. They need funding and technical assistance along with access to a wider variety of training, equipment, and technology.
As governor, I will insist on accountability for criminal conduct, and will prioritize restoring public safety in our state.
Only then will Oregon regain its reputation as an attractive place for businesses to locate and for people to safely live, work and play. Together we can address the most systemic issues around public safety, reduce crime rates, rebuild our relationship with the police and rebuild our state’s tarnished reputation.
Jessica Gomez is a Medford businesswoman and a Republican candidate for governor
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