Photo: Ford, Brad
Mayor Ted Wheeler and Chief Bob Day, along with other members of the City Council, welcomed 19 new police officers and 5 professional staff members (including two Public Safety Support Specialists) to the Portland Police Bureau today.
In addition, the Bureau also promoted three professional staff members as well as one Captain, one Commander and one Assistant Chief. This included Commander Chris Gjovik, who was promoted to Assistant Chief of Operations. Chief’s bios can be found here: https://www.portland.gov/police/chiefs-office/ppb-bios
A video of the ceremony is available here: https://youtu.be/1O9wD8028uA
The Bureau now has 806 sworn members. This includes all ranks from the Chief to the 554 officers. Of those officers, 109 are in training. There are currently 293 patrol officers assigned to precincts. More information about our staffing is available on our website: https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/ppb-staffing-report
While these 19 officers are being presented their badge today, it will be some time yet before they are fully trained and working by themselves in patrol cars. The training process for a new hire is 18 months, which includes the Basic Academy down at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem, a local PPB Advanced Academy and a field training program that pairs the new hire with different coaches.
PPB is actively rebuilding from its lowest number of sworn members which was 773 in September 2022.
PPB is looking to hire 80 officers this year. 1,259 individuals applied to be a Portland Police officer in 2023; over 160 candidates have already applied this year. The Personnel Division has streamlined the hiring process and shortened it substantially, five months or less in most cases. The City will even reimburse up to $10,000 in moving expenses for those who join from afar.
The Portland Police Bureau still has sworn vacancies and continues hiring both lateral and entry level community police officers. It's an exciting and rewarding career with excellent benefits. Salary ranges $75k-$107k per year plus pay incentives. Benefits are 95% paid by the city. The Portland Police Bureau continues to hire both lateral and entry level officers. Base salary ranges from $75k-$113k per year plus numerous pay and wellness incentives. The top step officer made an average of $188k in 2023.
PPB’s next two hiring workshops are March 2nd and April 6th. To sign up, visit: https://www.joinportlandpolice.com/workshops
Source: Portland Police Bureau