The Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau Will Be Reopening

The Portland Police Bureau has explained to drivers what the reinstatement of its traffic section, which has been understaffed for years, would entail.

The news was made during a press conference PPB Director Chuck Lovell held at 1 PM-

Chief Lovell said, “In 2021, I made the difficult decision to have our traffic officers go to the precincts to answer 911 emergency calls for service.”

“Though we are still deeply challenged with our staffing, we have seen the rise in f@tal cr@shes, and have heard from our community that they want and expect traffic enforcement to help keep our roadways safe for all users. In addition, our new officers have not been able to do a rotation through traffic to learn these valuable skills.”

Lovell said that PPB is currently training 97 new personnel. This declaration comes just in time to have more police on the roadways for the Rose Festival. According to Chief Lovell, the division will be smaller than before, consisting of just 10 motorcycle policemen, 2 automobile officers, and 2 sergeants.

Loved cited a lack of personnel when questioned about why the department was eliminated two years ago. “At that time, we were really struggling to answer calls for service in a timely fashion. We didn’t disband traffic but we folded the officers into patrol,” he said. “We felt this was the right time to make this move.”

In 2008, when Sergeant Ty Engstrom started working in traffic, the division had 35 bikes and 10 to 12 automobiles on patrol. In contrast, Engstrom said in November 2022, “Now, we have me and one other officer.”

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He claimed that the traffic division, which includes the Major Crash Team and the Traffic Investigation Unit, has just four detectives. “We don’t have the resources to investigate all the hit-and-runs that come through — we’ve got so many hit-and-runs that come through on a daily basis,” he added.

Late in 2018, PPB reported a 70-year high of 31 pedestrian f@talities in 2022. The agency also reported 66 traffic-related de@ths in the city that year.

A chunk of the division will return, and “We’re super excited to bring back a portion of the division,” he added. To paraphrase, “We’re looking for dangerous driving behavior, not who’s behind the wheel.”