The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Transit Police Division conducted a public safety mission at the Gateway Transit Center in Northeast Portland on Tuesday, November 1st.
The mission focused on the platform and surrounding Park & Ride parking lots. These locations at the Gateway TC draw some of the most calls for service and complaints.
During the mission, approximately 20 officers and deputies performed high-visibility foot patrols, provided outreach, made numerous contacts with community members and addressed crime in the area.
The crime reduction mission occurred between 4 and 8 p.m. According to data, this four-hour span is the time of day in which the Transit Police Division receives the highest number of calls for service.
The mission resulted in 17 arrests with charges including reckless endangerment, eluding on foot and felon in possession of a firearm. The Department of Community Justice arrested two people who violated their parole.
Notably, during the mission, deputies contacted a man who provided false information about this identity. During the contact, he began to ignore and resist the deputies’ commands. Deputies learned he was in possession of a loaded firearm. The firearm is considered a ghost gun, as it did not have a traceable serial number. In the suspect’s backpack, deputies also found two firearm magazines, totaling 30 rounds. When he was finally identified, deputies learned that there were warrants for his arrest out of Idaho and Clackamas County.
The mission is part of a larger public safety strategy developed by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, called the Enhanced Public Safety Initiative. Launched in April 2022, EPSI is a proactive, multi-layered strategy, developed to address the unprecedented levels of gun violence and traffic fatalities in our community, and to create community-engaged policing opportunities. The Sheriff’s Office has collaborated with many partner agencies and community organizations, all united in the vision of creating a safe and thriving community for everyone.
Particularly, we want to thank the Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Neighborhood Response Team (NRT), Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Community Justice’s Parole and Probation team for their support, as well as the Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division, which provided mobile booking resources to streamline the arrest and booking processes in the field.
