REPORT: Portland sees spikes in shoplifting crimes, overdose deaths in 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland Police Bureau presented the City Council with an annual report highlighting the city’s 2023 crime statistics on Aug. 28. The data included a 98% increase in shoplifting in North Portland and nearly twice as many drug overdose deaths as 2022.

PPB Chief Bob Day told the City Council that crime is down in recent years. However, crime rates remain high compared to the levels seen prior to 2020.

While most property crimes fell in 2023, shoplifting increased by 83% in PPB’s Central Precinct, 73% in PPB’s East Precinct and 98% in PPB’s North Precinct, the report shows. Day attributed the spike to PPB’s efforts to address shoplifting. However, PPB confirmed Monday that it is disbanding its property crime unit due to staffing issues. Moving forward, Day said, PPB will address shoplifting by conducting missions with help from large retail stores.

“Shoplifting and reported shoplifting is up,” Day said. “That, we believe, is tied to the fact that we are doing a tremendous amount of work in retail theft. Despite some of the reporting around property crimes, we’re continuing to investigate property crimes, [and] work with our retailers.”

Day also addressed the 90% increase in overdose deaths recorded in Portland between 2022 and 2023. At least 301 overdose deaths occurred in Portland in 2023, according to PPB data. Overdose deaths have risen year-over-year and are up 250% since 2020.

“In 2024, we’ve made some adjustments,” Day said. “We’ve added additional investigators to our narcotics unit to help follow up on the overdose deaths.”

Homicide rates, meanwhile, dropped 23% in 2023. However, rates remain high compared to years prior to 2020. From 2010 to 2019, Portland averaged 25 homicides per year. According to the report, 95 people were murdered in Portland in 2022 and 73 were murdered in 2023.

“This is an area that really requires a holistic community approach,” Day said. “These crimes are oftentimes connected to family, cultural issues, history that we can’t necessarily interdict with a specific mission like we can with stolen vehicles, for example.”

Prostitution rates also spiked across the city in 2023. Prostitution cases were up 67% in PPB’s Central Precinct, 178% in PPB’s East Precinct and 121% in its North Precinct. In total, PPB recorded 170 prostitution crimes in 2023. Human trafficking is also up 16% compared to the city’s five-year average. PPB’s Human Trafficking Unit worked to address human trafficking crimes through “buyer suppression” and patrol missions, resulting in dozens of arrests, according to the report.

“In September, two adult females were indicted on 18 charges for luring juveniles into prostitution,” the report reads. “One of them created ads for the juvenile victim and one of them drove them to 82nd Avenue and made them walk the street. These cases are awaiting trial.”

Overall, Portland's crime rates dropped 10% in 2023 and were 1% above the five-year average. With an anticipated drop in the number of retirements and an increasing number of applicants seeking employment with PPB, Day said that he expects a growing workforce to make an impact on crime rates in the coming years. There are approximately 800 officers currently employed with PPB.

“I would like to get to 850 to 880 officers by next year,” Day said. “... That will be a year we’ll be able to make up ground.”