Commissioner Ryan believes that community safety is a shared responsibility across City Council, and he knows it impacts every person who lives, works, worships, and plays in Portland. Commissioner Ryan is focused on building trust between impacted communities and law enforcement, investing in frontline community organizations to address root causes, creating and maintaining alignment in our public safety bureaus, expanding data-driven, nimble first responder systems, and advocating for increased mental and behavioral health services and infrastructure for all Oregonians.
Community safety is paramount, and we are making progress.
Learn more about Commissioner Ryan's work for a safer Portland:
- In the spring of 2021, Commissioner Ryan and Commissioner Rubio developed and championed a gun violence reduction initiative that included $6M in funding for nonprofits that work directly with communities impacted by gun violence. These investments will take time, and the best way to approach our safety issues is by building trust with impacted communities and addressing the root causes of gun violence. Willamette Week Coverage.
- Commissioner Ryan voted to expand Portland Street Response. Learn more about Portland Street Response.
- In April of 2021, Commissioner Ryan supported the selection of Mike Myers to serve as the Community Safety Transition Director. Director Myers is a seasoned community safety expert who has led Portland Fire & Rescue and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. Director Myers is working to create alignment among all public safety bureaus so we can move forward on a comprehensive approach to community safety in Portland. Learn more about Director Myers.
- Commissioner Ryan supports adding back Portland Police Bureau officers who have left the force as an interim step to address the community safety crises Portland is facing, and he supports incentivizing younger, more diverse officers who have left to return to the job.
- Commissioner Ryan worked with colleagues on City Council and key community stakeholders for a unanimous vote on a new Downtown Clean & Safe contract. KOIN coverage.
- Commissioner Ryan went on a ride-along with Portland Street Response to better understand their program.
- Safe Rest Villages are a critical part of Commissioner Ryan's community safety approach—by connecting Portlanders experiencing houselessness with services, we will make housed and unhoused neighbors safer.
- Commissioner Ryan's unanimously-passed houselessness ordinance codified the criteria by which camp cleanups and interventions take place. This unprecedented clarification is long overdue and works to create a safer Portland.
- Commissioner Ryan championed an ordinance that made it easier for businesses to install exterior security lights and gates during the COVID-19 pandemic—a vital step in stimulating economic recovery in Portland and ensuring the safety of local businesses and customers.
- Commissioner Ryan has attended ride alongs with members of PPB's Neighborhood Response Team as well as with the community organizations who do gun violence reduction work with impacted communities.
- Commissioner Ryan voted in support of the $4.1 million Gun Violence Reduction Grant Ordinance.
- Commissioner Ryan increased visibility of and progress for gun violence reduction and community safety conversations by partnering with the Office of Violence Prevention and participating in the Gun Violence Reduction Grant Committee.
Commissioner Ryan's office worked with a unified Portland City Council through early 2021 to reduce impacts at the Laurelhurst Park encampment, and—when life safety was threatened—led Council in unanimous action to humanely and effectively remove the encampment. Commissioner Ryan's staff served as City Council Liaison Officer and Civilian Public Information Officer for the intervention, and unhoused Portlanders were offered services and relocated peacefully. Portland Mercury Coverage.