Police hope door hangers will help curb gun violence in Portland
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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV ) — The first month of 2020 has been a big one when it comes to gun violence calls across the Rose City.
Portland Police say since the start of the year, their Gun Violence Reduction Team has been called out 61 times on a call involving a firearm. They say those calls range from assaults to accidental shootings.
Compared to the same time period last year, Portland Police say the call numbers are up drastically. The first month of January they called out the GVRT 36 times.
On Monday, Portland police announced a new tool they hope will help drum up some leads and help them better engage with the community. The bureau plans to start leaving door hangers at homes around the scene of a shooting.
Asst. Police Chief Andrew Shearer says officers and investigators canvas the area around the scene trying to find clues and witnesses. He adds that sometimes, someone who knows something or might have seen something is home when officers or investigators are out working. They hope the door hanger will help drum up some new leads and send the gun violence on to a downward trend.
“The purpose of doing that is so the neighborhood and the people who aren’t home know that we did show up in the neighborhood, we do care about what happens, we want to solicit their information, and the only way we can stop many of these shootings is if members of the community step up and help us out,” Shearer said.
It will be a few weeks before Portland Police begin using the new door hangers. They are currently designing what they will look like. Anyone would like to give feedback by calling 503-823-4106 or email GunTaskForce@portlandoregon.gov.
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