Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Portland Police Bureau homicide detectives are investigating after cleanup crews found human remains at two separate downtown homeless encampments within a week, with investigators saying the discoveries may involve one deceased person pending confirmation from the state medical examiner.
More in Public Safety
Public Safety
View MoreInvasive beetle threatens 94,000 Portland ash trees
The emerald ash borer, confirmed in Portland in 2025, puts an estimated 94,000 ash trees at risk citywide, and the city is responding with chemical treatments, biocontrol wasps and a free tree giveaway program.
Public Safety
View MorePortland honors Geraldine Avery, first Black police matron, at 103
Family and community members gathered Oct. 6 to honor Geraldine Avery, Portland's first Black police matron, who died at 103 after a career that spanned wartime welding, barrier-breaking law enforcement and a sex discrimination lawsuit against the city.
Public Safety
View MorePortland's Clarklewis closes after protesters smash windows
Protesters broke at least one window at the LGBTQ+-owned Southeast Portland restaurant on Sunday, Oct. 4, after a social media call to rally against a private brunch they believed was booked by white nationalists. Portland police responded twice but made no arrests.
Public Safety
View MoreFDA recalls raw milk cheese after E. coli outbreak reaches Oregon
Sierra Nevada Cheese Company recalled all Graziers-brand raw milk cheeses after an E. coli O26:H11 outbreak sickened 13 people and hospitalized eight across nine states, including at least one Oregonian; more than half of those sick are children 5 and younger.
Public Safety
View MorePortland firefighters free trapped patient after SE Flavel crash
Portland Fire & Rescue crews extricated a patient trapped in a vehicle after a multi-car crash on SE Flavel Street early Sunday, Sept. 20. The stretch of road includes an intersection PBOT has flagged for high crash rates, where a funded safety project has yet to begin construction.
Public Safety
View MoreHundreds of dead fish found in Johnson Creek, cause unknown
Hundreds of dead fish, lamprey and salamanders have been found in Johnson Creek, triggering a multi-agency investigation involving the Bureau of Environmental Services, DEQ, ODFW and Oregon State Police; the cause remains unknown.
Public Safety
View MoreCrime Stoppers of Oregon dissolves Sept. 30 after 43 years
Crime Stoppers of Oregon will shut down Sept. 30, ending a 43-year anonymous tip program after declining tips, an aging volunteer board and an unresolved data breach at its hosting provider left the nonprofit unable to continue.
Public Safety
View MorePortland's MAX light rail turns 40 amid funding crisis
TriMet's MAX light rail celebrates 40 years on Sept. 5, but the anniversary comes amid a $300 million budget shortfall and the largest service cuts since 2020, with a state survey closing Sept. 10 that could shape transportation funding in the 2027 legislative session.
Public Safety
View MorePortland police release body-cam video of vehicle strike
Portland Police Bureau released body-worn camera footage on Aug. 26 from the Aug. 12 incident in which Lt. Brent Maxey struck armed suspect Joshua R. Kuras with a police vehicle at 3-5 mph during a foot pursuit in Northwest Portland, triggering a deadly force investigation.
Public Safety
View MoreFeds charge 100+ fentanyl dealers in Portland crackdown
Federal prosecutors announced more than 100 fentanyl trafficking charges in downtown Portland since 2023, with seizures topping 100 kilograms of fentanyl, 40 firearms and $1.3 million in a joint FBI-PPB operation.
Public Safety
View MoreBurnside beacon goes live as repaving stirs speed fears
PBOT activated a $1.1 million pedestrian hybrid beacon on West Burnside at St. Clair Avenue, closing a 1,000-foot signal gap on one of Portland's deadliest corridors, but the Better Burnside Coalition warns that concurrent repaving without a street redesign could increase vehicle speeds.
Public Safety
View More2nd acid spill in 8 days hits North Portland warehouse
A ruptured valve sent 115 gallons of heavy acid flowing inside a North Portland warehouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the second major chemical incident in the area in eight days, prompting a hazmat response and leaving regulatory compliance questions unanswered.
Rose City Beat
Powered by Surround Sound Media
Copyright © 2026. Rose City Beat. All Rights Reserved.