Portland Crisis: With 120 Vacancies, Only 3 Out Of 60 Applicants Pass Police Background Check
Last month TGP reported that internal politics and a pro-antifa attitude inside the Portland Police Bureau leadership and city hall has led to an exodus of officers leaving the bureau, either retiring early or going to work for other agencies in the area. With 120 job openings, reports are now coming out that would-be new hires are failing pass the introductory background check. Bigly.
The assistant chief told the City Commissioners that out of more than 60 people who applied for public safety specialist jobs, only 3 passed background checks. The biggest reasons for their disqualification is past drug use or dishonesty in their application.
Police applicants who have used marijuana in the past year don’t pass a PPB background check because marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
With so many vacancies in the PPB, some City Council members wondered if there should be fewer supervisors and more patrol officers.
“Is there a way to reconfigure your workforce to have more officers on the street rather than in supervisor or specialty units?” Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty asked.
“I’m sure there is a way to flatten the hierarchy,” Outlaw said. “But the issue with that is to maintain accountability and chain of command.”