Understaffed Portland police forced to shutter cold case unit, deal ‘devastating’ blow for families
Portland police is shutting down its cold case division amid a soaring homicide rate, according to reports.
Fox 12 and The Oregonian reported that Portland Police Bureau Chief Chuck Lovell is moving several detectives from other teams to the homicide division, including the supervisor of the cold case squad.
In a recent email to department employees, Lovell said the current number of 18 homicide detectives is not sustainable with the number of homicides the bureau is responding to in Oregon’s largest city.
In addition to the sergeant who oversees the cold case team, six other detectives across the bureau will be reassigned to respond to active homicide cases. That will create the bureau’s third homicide detail.
The chief said he intends the closure of the cold case team to be temporary, and Lovell plans to restaff the division again “as our resources increase.”- READ MORE
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