PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As the City of Portland conducts a nationwide search for a police chief, leaders of 2 national organizations are meeting with Mayor Ted Wheeler Tuesday in an effort to promote, recruit and retain minority police officers.
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the National Latino Peace Officers Association met with the media at 4:30 p.m. The groups are also interested in helping strengthen the relationship between the community and law enforcement.
For quite a while, the Portland Police Bureau has been understaffed. In October 2015, the head of the Portland Police Association, Darryl Turner, told KOIN 6 News PPB was 700 officers short of national staffing benchmarks.
KOIN 6 News reporter Andrew Dymburt filed this video report.