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Safe Gresham

  • The safety of our officers and residents is of the highest importance to the City. 

    Safe Gresham is a community violence prevention effort between City leadership, Gresham Police and the community.

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    • Ride with the Gresham Police Behavioral Health Unit as they care for community members in crisis and raise awareness about the importance of mental health.

    • What We're Doing
    • What is Safe Gresham?
    • Contact
    What We're Doing

    Measures we're taking to increase community safety, address challenges and support our Police officers.

    Safe Gresham action so far

    • Dedicated $5.2 million in American Rescue Plan Funds to public safety with City Council support.
    • Expanded the City’s advanced cameras program in areas with high criminal activity, to help investigations.
    • Renewed focus on recruiting and retention efforts in the Gresham Police Department. New officers have joined Gresham Police.
    • Participated in enhanced safety patrol missions with Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau (gun violence, stolen vehicles, traffic safety, etc.).
    • Invested over $2 million and opened a Youth Services division dedicated to youth violence prevention.
    • Partnered with the Safe Street Task Force and other local restorative justice and gun violence initiatives.
    • Created a Special Victims Investigation Unit with existing staff.
    • Hired over 13 non-sworn support staff including two crime analysts, three senior evidence technicians, and one criminalist.
    • Hired a recruiter specific to the Gresham Police Department.
    • Purchased new technology to make hiring easier. 
    • Dedicated funds to promote Police recruiting efforts.

    Additional efforts still underway

    • Adding a Deputy District Attorney dedicated to gun violence.
    • Providing additional crime prevention through environmental design support for local businesses.
    • Hiring four additional community safety specialist positions.
    • Adding an investigative analyst to focus on gun violence-related activities.
    • Adding street level intervention personnel who can respond to shooting incidents with case management and intervention techniques to deter retaliatory violence.
    What is Safe Gresham?

    Safe Gresham is a community violence effort to address gaps in the services provided to the community. 

    Collaboration, intervention, prevention

    Safe Gresham focuses on three strategies that work together at the same time: collaboration, intervention and prevention.

    Collaboration efforts

    Includes:

    • Producing solutions together between the Gresham Police Department and Gresham community.
    • Hiring additional staff, particularly non-sworn officers.
    • Analyzing crime data to guide crime reduction strategies.
    • Recruiting and retaining officers.

    Intervention efforts

    Includes:

    Prevention efforts

    Includes:

    • Creating a Youth Services division to provide youth violence prevention support. This program invests in culturally specific community-based organizations that can provide services for youth and young adults in Gresham.
    • Hiring a Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator.
    • Investing in positive recreational activities and engagement.

    Why this is important

    • Everyone is impacted by community violence.
    • For actions to work they must be community-driven and include health and behavioral perspectives to address the root causes of violence.
    • Working alongside culturally specific community-based organizations is critical. We want to meet our community where they are at and provide the resources they need.
    • Positive social activities and getting people engaged, while giving them protection to do so, contributes to health and well-being. Many of these activities are exactly what the pandemic took away.
    • Rebuilding safety requires keeping youth in the community surrounded by family, with health care, and easier access to recreational opportunities.
    Contact

    Police Lieutenant Jeff.Miller@GreshamOregon.gov

    Youth Services Manager Emon.Ghassemi@GreshamOregon.gov

    Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator Marcell.Frazier@GreshamOregon.gov