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Why is public safety collapsing in Portland?
Crime looks to be leveling off in Oregon’s three main counties, but it’s a different story within Portland city limits. Local leaders share their strategies for keeping crime and livability issues from spilling into their communities.
Oregon’s shortage of public defenders has resulted in hundreds of dropped cases in the Portland area, but one district attorney said that’s a dangerous response.
“That is a terrible result for public safety and for victims,” Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton told Fox News. “Victims have a right to be safe and to have their case prosecuted. They have a right to have their day in court, just like a defendant has a right to have their day in court.”
Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said dismissing cases due to lack of public defenders sets a bad precedent and incentivizes criminal behavior. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
CRIME TURNED PORTLAND INTO A ‘HOLLOWED OUT SHELL.’ ITS NEIGHBORS ARE TRYING TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING TO THEM
Almost 800 people are currently waiting for a public defender in Oregon, and 76 of them are behind bars. Some of the cases have sat idle for weeks or even months, according to Oregon Judicial Department data.
“This is an example of an essential aspect of the public safety system failing,” Barton said.
In Multnomah County, where Portland is located, District Attorney Mike Schmidt has dismissed more than 300 cases due to the crisis, which he called an “urgent threat to public safety.”
Charges dismissed last week in Multnomah County included felony theft and burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, gun charges, reckless driving and fleeing from police, according to the DA’s office. Some violent crimes have also been dismissed, frustrating victims, including a man who was pepper sprayed while driving a bus.
“I’m upset,” Chris Day told KOIN 6 News when he learned his alleged attacker’s case had been dropped. “It’s very few…
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