PORTLAND, Oregon – Frustrated business owners are calling on city and county leaders to do more to combat the rise in property crime in Portland, and they have plenty of suggestions for where to start.
“Many of the ‘professional criminals’ that are out there breaking into businesses and wreaking havoc, we really need to catch these people, and we need to prosecute these people,” said Sarah Shaoul, business coach and founder of the group Bricks Need Mortar defense.
Property crime, including vandalism and theft, increased 16% in the first 10 months of 2022. Some Portland businesses are demanding the city take action.
(Photos courtesy of Bison Coffeehouse, Portland Police Bureau, and Rains PDX)
PORTLAND BUSINESS OWNERS FACE ‘MAKE IT OR BREAK IT’ HOLIDAYS AS CRIME SURGES AFTER THE PANDEMIC AND RIOTS
Property crime in Portland increased 16% between January and October of this year compared to the same period in 2021, according to data from the Portland Police Bureau.
Shaoul acknowledged the shortage of public defenders in Multnomah County, which has resulted in hundreds of cases being dropped. But she said she’s fed up with “opportunistic criminals” who blatantly vandalize and rob businesses.
“When someone has been caught on camera more than a dozen times reversing their vehicle in a business, I think it’s time we do something about it,” he said.
Between the pandemic, riots, rising crime and the ever-present homelessness crisis, entrepreneurs are fighting an uphill battle to stay in business, said Katherine Sealy, owner of Event Cosmetics.
“Safety is a priority for everyone,” he said. “And I think a lot of the surrounding areas… still feel unsafe to come downtown.”
FED UP PORTLAND BUSINESSES OFFER SOLUTIONS TO GROWING CRIME:
WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE
While Portland’s historic social justice protests have given the city an anti-police reputation, Sealy, Shaoul and other business owners and residents said they’d like to see more law enforcement officers out there.
“We would like to see a greater police presence in protecting our small storefront business,” Shaoul said. “And we would like to see the police show up in a timely manner to these calls and these raids.”
Police response times reached levels not seen in at least a decade, according to PPB data, with the average high-priority call waiting more than 20 minutes for a response in October. Medium priority callers waited more than 51 minutes on average during the same month.
Many factors can influence response times, including travel time, number of calls and staffing levels, which are slowly increasing, according to PPB.
“If the police aren’t available, I think the city should look at other resources to help,” Shaoul said. “Over a year ago, we made a recommendation that we have patrols illuminate buildings.”
Shaoul suggested that the city use other departments for such patrols, such as the Portland Transportation Office, which performs street maintenance, parking lot enforcement and other services.
“Let’s get them out there with big lights on the sides of their vehicles and let’s get them driving,” he said. “A lot of it is just preventative. You know, just keeping an eye on these businesses and preventing them from being robbed repeatedly.”
Boarded up windows remain a common sight in Portland nearly three years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
(Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
A clothing store closed permanently this year after suffering its fifteenth robbery and posted a note on its door reading: “Our city is in danger. Small businesses (and large ones) cannot continue to do business in the current state of our We have no protection or recourse against criminal conduct that goes unpunished.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sealy said he has seen many of his fellow business owners “close their doors forever” and hopes they don’t have to follow suit in the new year.
“I think the city needs to partner with us to do that, to make sure it’s not just a one-sided effort,” Sealy said.
To watch the interview with Shaoul and Sealy, click here.
