Ceasefire Monthly Report

Disclaimer: This monthly summary report should be considered a living document in which monthly and cumulative data will change over time as participant-level data is cleaned and reconciled.

Community Safety: Violence Prevention & Intervention

The City of Portland approaches Community Violence Prevention & Intervention from a public health perspective. A public health approach to community violence prevention and intervention is buttressed by two core pillars: 1) continuous data tracking and monitoring and 2) multi-sector coordination including policy, law enforcement, social services, and education.

The public health approach uses a four-step process:

1. Define and monitor the problem;
2. Identify risk and protective factors;
3. Develop and test prevention and intervention strategies; and
4. Community-wide implementation and adoption.

Portland's Community Violence Prevention & Intervention strategic framework is led by Ceasefire and The Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and involves:

1. Universal, population-level prevention strategies led by OVP teams, such as placemaking projects in high-impact neighborhoods.
2. Specialized prevention and early intervention strategies for at-risk individuals and groups led by OVP teams, such as Safer Portland and Spring Break Grant initiatives providing mentorship, workforce development, and pro-social skill building to youth and young adults.
3. Directed interventions for individuals at the highest risk of driving violence led by Portland Ceasefire using credible messengers for community outreach and the offering of long-term intensive case management services.

View full size image of Community Violence Prevention and Intervention Strategic Framework: 1) Broad Community Transformation (Safe Blocks/OVP), 2) Prevention and Early Intervention for At-Risk Populations (OVP), and 3) Intensive Interventions for High-Risk Populations (Ceasefire).

Ceasefire Background

The City of Portland adopted Ceasefire, a strategic and intentional Community-Law Enforcement partnership, as its Gun Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) in July 2023. The GVRS is a comprehensive method of identifying the individuals in a jurisdiction who are at the very highest risk of being involved in gun violence and employing effective interventions with those individuals and their conflicts to significantly reduce gun violence. The GVRS rests on two main principles: 1) specifically serving those at the very highest risk of being involved in gun violence, and 2) rapid and frequent engagement of these high-risk individuals into intensive case management services.

The primary components of Ceasefire include:

• Data-Driven Identification: Using accurate and timely data to identify individuals and groups at the highest risk of being victims or perpetrators of gun violence.
• Direct and Respectful Communication: Engaging with high-risk individuals to clearly communicate the risks they face and the support available to them.
• Intensive Services, Supports, and Opportunities: Connecting very high-risk individuals with trained staff who are credible and relatable to develop positive and trusting relationships, then connect participants with resources they need to address underlying issues and create positive life changes.
• Focused Enforcement: As a last resort, implementing targeted law enforcement strategies for those high-risk individuals who continue to engage in gun violence.
• Data-Driven Performance Management: A deliberate, structured approach to using data and information to assess progress and needed improvements among city and strategy leadership.

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform conducted gun violence Problem Analyses in 2019 and 2021 for Portland in coordination with the Office of Violence Prevention and the Portland Police Bureau to identify the drivers of community violence in support of the implementation of violence reduction strategies and interventions. Results from the Problem Analysis included the recommendation to focus violence reduction efforts on the individuals at the very highest risk of being victims and suspects in firearm homicides and injuries. Individuals at High-Risk for Gun Violence identified via Problem Analyses:

• Males;
• Aged 18-44;
• 5-8 previous arrests;
• Associated with or active gang or group involvement;
• Previously shot;
• Socially connected to recent (past 6-months) shooting or homicide victim; and
• Prior criminal justice system involvement (including felonies and prior probation or post-prison supervision).

Shooting Reviews

A key feature of the Ceasefire strategy are the convening of Shooting Reviews, which are regular, structured reviews of recent shooting incidents to spot emerging patterns, anticipate retaliation, and identify immediate intervention opportunities for outreach, mediation, or support.

Evidence-Based Community Violence Intervention Services & Providers

The service and supports component of Ceasefire entails the provision of evidence-based programs such as intensive case management and a hospital violence intervention program (HVIP) known locally as Healing Hurt People. Ceasefire collaborates with community-based organizations to implement these community violence interventions.

• Community Outreach (also known as Street Level Outreach):
  • Charge: Incident response and community engagement
  • Providers: Going Home 2, Guia Inc., HELP, Nurture, and POIC
• Intensive Case Management (ICM):
  • Charge: Long-term engagement with high-risk individuals providing an array of intensive support services
  • Providers: Going Home 2, Guia Inc., HELP, Nurture, and POIC
• Healing Hurt People (HHP):
  • Charge: Hospital-based program to engage gunshot wound victims into long-term intensive support services
  • Provider: POIC
• Short-term Emergency Services (STES):
  • Charge: Provide support services, including relocation, to families impacted by gun violence
  • Provider: Going Home 2, Guia Inc., HELP, Nurture, and POIC

Outreach Model – Relentless Pursuit

It often takes many weeks for Outreach Workers to successfully contact and connect with referred individuals. This means that it is not unusual for Service Acceptance data to indicate "pursuing/pending" as Outreach Workers follow the Relentless Pursuit model.

Relentless Pursuit refers to the intensity of effort involved in attempting to contact and engage individuals into violence intervention services. Relentless Pursuit includes any and everything needed to locate, engage, and get onto the caseload, a very high-risk individual, including:

• Frequent calls and texts;
• In-person visits;
• Engage family, friends, and all known contacts;
• Leverage contacts with current program participants;
• Leverage social media; and
• As a last resort, if the individual is on probation/parole, contact the Probation Officer.

According to the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, it often takes 3-5 months of relentless pursuit to find, contact, connect, and build relationships with high-risk individuals before an outreach worker can successfully transition these individuals into long-term ICM services.

Acronyms & Definitions

• CVI = Community Violence Intervention
• High-Risk Participants = participants enrolled in long-term life coaching services. Excludes participants enrolled in 90-day short-term services
• GSW = Gun Shot Wound
• ICM = Intensive Case Management/Life Coaching
• HHP = Healing Hurt People (Hospital-Based Program for gunshot wound victims)
• STES = Short-Term Emergency Services (typically wraparound services for families impacted by gun violence; not high-risk)
• SLO = Street Level Outreach (aka Outreach/Community Outreach)
• SSCC = Street Services Coordination Center (Houseless Outreach, City of Portland)
• PPS = Portland Public Schools Youth Violence Prevention Team

Ceasefire Process and Referral Flow

Ceasefire is the city's managing body and infrastructure for implementing a coordinated community violence intervention strategy. Bringing regional law enforcement, government, and community stakeholders together into a cohesive partnership provides the foundation for implementing the strategy and culturally-specific services for identified high-risk individuals. Ceasefire is the lynchpin to uniting this law enforcement-community partnership with the goal of reducing community violence and the law-enforcement footprint on our most vulnerable high-risk communities. Learn more about how Ceasefire works.

View full size image of Graphic showing the Ceasefire Referral Flow.

Caveat: POIC's Healing Hurt People (HHP) program has direct MOUs and agreements with hospitals, separate from Ceasefire, which allows the program to provide services, including relocation, to gunshot wound victims outside of Ceasefire's purview.

It's important to note: Many individuals referred to HHP and STES are not high-risk for driving gun violence in the community. These individuals are Ceasefire referrals due to involvement or connection to a firearm homicide or injury incident. Those who are assessed as low-risk typically receive short-term, 90-day services to help support healing following a gunshot wound and/or to assist in covering medical, funeral, and other emergency expenses.

Ceasefire Monthly Report - August 2026

Monthly Summary

Continuing to see a decline in the 12-month rolling average of injury and fatal shooting incidents, -6% through August 2026; despite an increase in shootings during the summer months. The 12-month rolling average for GV homicide victims is up 12%, with a rolling monthly average of 3.08, a rate we've been hovering around for the past 13 months, but equivalent to the rate in November 2020.

There were 53 shooting incidents in August 2026, a 47% increase from August 2025's total. There were five firearm fatalities in August 2026, increasing Year to Date firearm homicides to 18. The 53 shooting incidents (15 homicide and injury) contributed 13 out of a total of 35 referrals to services in August 2026.

• 5 Firearm homicide victim
• 10 Injury incidents
• 38 Non-injury incidents
• 53 Total shooting incidents

An estimated 24 of August shooting incidents (45%) had a known or inferred nexus, such as being likely gang or group related or involved an individual experiencing housing instability.

• 33% Vehicle-involved
• 29% Housing instability
• 21% Gang/group related
• 17% Drug related
• 13% Robbery
• 4% Domestic violence

Housing instability was the most common nexus among August 2026 Ceasefire referrals representing 6, while gang/group related was the second most common representing 5 referrals.

Ceasefire continues to refer high-risk individuals to CVI services at a higher rate than the occurrence of injury & fatal shooting incidents with over 2.5 times as many referrals to incidents (238 vs 92, respectively) in 2026.

Shooting Review Summary Data (August 2026)

• August 2026
  • Shooting Incidents - 53 (Injuries; - 10; Fatalities – 5)
  • Individuals Identified & Assessed - 31
  • Appropriate for Referral to Services - 31
  • Other Referrals - 4
• Year To Date 2026
  • Shooting Incidents - 356 (Injuries & Fatalities – 92)
  • Individuals Identified & Assessed - 178
  • Appropriate for Referral to Services - 178
  • Other Referrals - 60

Ceasefire Referrals (August 2026)

• 31 Assessments - # of individuals assessed as high-risk in Shooting Reviews.
• 45 Referrals (In) - # of high-risk individuals referred to CVI services.
  • 31 via Shooting Reviews.
  • 4 additional referral from partners.
• 2 individuals/families received relocation services.
• 35 Referrals (Out) - referrals to CVI services.
  • 5 referred to ICM.
  • 12 referred to/contacted by HHP.
  • 4 referred to Short-term Emergency Services (STES).
  • 14 referred to Houseless Outreach (SSCC).
• 6 Accepted services.
  • 3 enrolled in Life Coaching (1 ICM, 2 HHP).
  • 3 received short-term emergency services from HHP/STES.
  • 21 engaged in relentless pursuit.
  • 8 refused services.
• Direct and respectful communication events (articulating current risks and the support available to high-risk individuals)
  • 1 Custom Notifications (individual meetings)
  • 1 Call-In (Call-Ins include multiple high-risk individuals who are socially associated).

Ceasefire Referral Flow & Characteristics (August 2026)

• Referral Flow to CBOs - Intensive Case Management
  • POIC - 1
  • Nurture - 4
  • HELP - 0
  • Guia - 0
• Referral Flow to CBOs - HHP
  • HHP (POIC) - 12
• Referral Flow to CBOs - STES
  • HELP - 2
  • Guia – 1
  • Going Home II – 1
• Houseless Outreach
  • Street Services Coordination Center (SSCC) - 14
• Characteristics of Ceasefire Referrals
  • Gender
    • Male - 25
    • Female - 10
  • Race/Ethnicity
    • Black - 14
    • Hispanic/Latino - 5
    • White - 12
    • Other - 1
    • Unknown - 3
  • Location of Incident
    • Downtown - 2
    • N Portland - 2
    • NE Portland - 10
    • SE Portland - 6
    • NW Portland - 1
    • Unknown - 1
    • Multnomah County - 1
    • Unrelated to a specific shooting incident - 12
  • Age - The average age of an individual referred to ICM or HHP services was 27.5.

Year To Date 2026 Ceasefire Referral Flow

View full size image of Ceasefire

52% Program Engagement Rate: Since 2025, there have been 545 individuals referred to CVI services. 283 of these referred individuals have agreed to participate in programming, resulting in a 52% engagement rate. (These data no longer reflect houseless individuals referred to the Street Services Coordination Center).

Active High-Risk Participants (As of August 2026)

• Outreach (high-risk individuals engaged) - 2
  • Guia - 2
• Intensive Case Management (high-risk individuals enrolled) - 98
  • HELP - 27
  • Nurture - 19
  • POIC - 27
  • Guia - 25
• Healing Hurt People (shooting injury victims enrolled) - 31

Portland Police Bureau Open Data

Additional data are available on the Portland Police Bureau's Open Data website.

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