Police misconduct and accountability have been hot topics this month.
Police Abuse of Power in 2020
Investigators from a company called Independent Monitor released a 95-page analysis of the behaviors of the Portland Police Department during protests in the summer of 2020. The report concludes that officers relied too heavily on rubber bullets, tear gas, and other harmful tactics. The report said the city must develop “guardrails to ensure that this power is never abused.” [Oregonian]
Body Cameras Coming This Week
The report from Independent Monitor cited a lack of video footage from the protests as a hurdle in investigations. Portland officers will finally begin wearing body cameras this week as part of the police bureau’s pilot program, after years of legal wrangling and nearly a decade after reaching a reform agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. [KGW]
Dealing With Record Crime
Mike Schmidt was elected Multnomah County District Attorney in 2020 and boldly exclaimed, “Multnomah County has just embraced the most progressive DA platform that this state has ever seen.” But the city’s skyrocketing crime rates say otherwise. We talked to him about how his strategy as the region’s top prosecutor has evolved against a myriad of challenges. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
More about Local Civics
$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau
The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]
City Cast Portland staffFeb 10, 2026
The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session
State lawmakers convene in Salem next week after a chaotic few weeks for Democratic state leaders as they scramble to address the issue of transportation funding. They have a key problem: Voters appear to oppose the gas tax passed last fall.
City Cast Portland staffJan 28, 2026
US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel
Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed). But a key exception in recent months was Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them. Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize as “the one book every Portlander should read right now”).
City Cast Portland staffNov 12, 2025