Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 06/16/26
Restorative justice group got zero new cases since Oct 2024 and lost 3 staff — cops just aren't sending referrals despite years-old agreements. Shootings are down big though, 1,315 in 2021 to 574 last year. Gun-in-city-meetings ban got punted to July 7, no vote.
Summary
Three restorative justice organizations told the committee they are struggling to get consistent case referrals from Portland Police Bureau and the DA's office, despite having formal agreements in place for years. Lutheran Community Services Northwest saw just one DA referral in the first year of its partnership, but nearly 20 in the last six months after restructuring how referrals are initiated — a model they hope PPB can replicate. Restorative Roots Project, which has achieved a 100% non-recidivism rate on completed cases and estimates $3.2 million in avoided prison costs, has received no new cases since October 2024 and lost three staff members due to funding cuts tied to low referral volume. Police Chief Day acknowledged the bureau has lacked internal ownership of restorative justice referrals and committed to addressing that, and committee chair Novick drew a parallel to how committee scrutiny previously led PPB to dramatically increase its use of extreme risk protection orders.
The FIT Community Oversight Group, which provides community oversight of PPB's gun violence unit, presented data showing Portland shootings have fallen from 1,315 in 2021 to 574 in 2025, with four consecutive months below 40 shootings in 2026 — a level not seen in years. The COG is developing a performance dashboard, a ride-along observation tool, and has two formal recommendations pending with the Mayor's Office: one on FIT training standards and one on officer selection practices to build community trust. The body currently has 9 of 15 seats filled and is actively recruiting; council members can recommend appointees to the Mayor.
The committee also debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings where official public meetings are held, a step now permitted under 2025 state law. City Attorney Robert Taylor clarified the effect would be to make such possession a misdemeanor, not a felony as had been suggested earlier in discussion. Councilor Zimmerman objected that the ordinance targets people who have followed the law and argued for an exclusion-based approach instead of criminal enforcement. An amendment to Exhibit C — removing pepper spray from the list of automatically prohibited items in parks — passed 5-0. The underlying ordinance was deferred; council members and the administration will work toward revised language for a possible vote at the July 7th committee meeting.
Key Points
- Restorative justice organizations presented programs operating in Portland, highlighting struggles to get referrals from Portland Police Bureau and the DA's office, and requesting city council support to improve system partnerships
- The Focused Intervention Team (FIT) Community Oversight Group (COG) presented on their work overseeing PPB's gun violence reduction unit, noting shootings have dropped from 1,315 in 2021 to 574 in 2025
- The committee debated an ordinance to remove the concealed handgun license affirmative defense in city public meeting buildings; an amendment to Exhibit C passed unanimously but the underlying ordinance was deferred for further discussion
Votes (2)
Amendment to Exhibit C of Ordinance 2026-123
Removes 'tear gas, mace, and pepper mace' from the list of presumptively prohibited items in parks, so that carrying pepper spray for personal protection is not automatically illegal
April 7, 2026 Community and Public Safety Committee Minutes
Approval of prior meeting minutes
Action Items
- Chief Day to identify internal PPB ownership of restorative justice referral process and work to increase referrals to Lutheran Community Services Northwest and Restorative Roots Project
- Council members may submit names to the Mayor for appointment to the FIT COG (currently 9 of 15 seats filled)
- Chair Novick, Council President Dunphy, and Councilor Kanal (or Novick, by coin flip) to meet with the administration and city attorneys to revise concealed carry ordinance language before the July 7th committee meeting
- City Attorney's Office to ensure the attorney handling Ordinance 2026-123 is available at future committee hearings on this item
- Restorative justice organizations encouraged to engage early in next budget cycle (FY2027-28) to seek city funding, as FY2026-27 budget has already been finalized
Issues Discussed (16)
Three restorative justice organizations testified about chronic referral shortfalls from PPB and the DA's office, with Restorative Roots Project receiving no new cases since October 2024 despite a 100% non-recidivism rate, while Lutheran Community Services Northwest shared a restructured referral model that increased DA referrals from one to nearly 20. Police Chief Day acknowledged PPB lacks internal ownership of restorative justice referrals and committed to addressing the issue, with committee chair Novick drawing a parallel to how prior council scrutiny dramatically increased PPB's use of extreme risk protection orders.
The committee debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings where public meetings are held, as now permitted under 2025 state law, with Councilor Zimmerman objecting that the measure criminalizes lawful behavior and advocating for an exclusion-based approach instead. The ordinance was deferred, with council members and the administration directed to develop revised language for a potential vote at the July 7th committee meeting.
The FIT Community Oversight Group reported significant progress in gun violence reduction, with Portland shootings falling from 1,315 in 2021 to 574 in 2025, while presenting pending recommendations to the Mayor's Office on FIT training standards and officer selection practices. Police Chief Day also acknowledged PPB's lack of internal ownership over restorative justice referrals and committed to addressing the gap, with committee chair Novick drawing a parallel to prior council scrutiny that improved PPB's use of extreme risk protection orders.
Referenced during the meeting but no specific details about housing-related fund reallocation were included in the committee's discussion, which focused on restorative justice referrals, gun violence oversight, and a concealed handgun ordinance.
Referenced during broader public safety committee discussion but no specific action on Call Allocation Committee's work continuation is documented in the meeting summary.
Referenced during broader budget discussion, with restorative justice providers noting that funding cuts tied to low referral volume have led to staff losses — but no direct council work session on bureau-specific budgets occurred in this meeting.
Referenced during the broader public safety committee meeting but no dedicated updates on the United States vs. City of Portland Settlement Agreement were presented or acted upon.
Referenced during the broader meeting but no substantive discussion, action, or information related to the Five-Year Financial Stabilization and Recovery Plan was presented in this committee session.
Three restorative justice organizations testified that inconsistent case referrals from PPB and the DA's office are severely undermining their programs, with Restorative Roots Project receiving no new cases since October 2024 and losing three staff members as a result. Police Chief Day acknowledged the bureau lacks internal ownership of the referral process and committed to addressing it, while committee chair Novick suggested that committee scrutiny — similar to how it previously increased PPB's use of extreme risk protection orders — could drive improvement.
Three restorative justice organizations testified about severe funding pressures tied to inconsistent case referrals from PPB and the DA's office, with Restorative Roots Project having received no new cases since October 2024 and losing three staff members as a result. No specific FY2027-28 budget figures or funding decisions were presented; discussion focused on improving referral pipelines, with Police Chief Day acknowledging a lack of internal ownership and committing to address it.
The FIT Community Oversight Group presented data showing Portland shootings have declined from 1,315 in 2021 to 574 in 2025, with four consecutive months below 40 shootings in 2026. The COG reported two formal recommendations pending with the Mayor's Office — on FIT training standards and officer selection practices — and noted the body is actively recruiting to fill 6 of its 15 seats.
The committee debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings hosting official public meetings, as now permitted under 2025 state law, with City Attorney Robert Taylor clarifying violations would constitute a misdemeanor. Councilor Zimmerman objected to criminalizing law-abiding gun owners, and the ordinance was deferred with revised language to be developed for a possible vote at the July 7th committee meeting.
Three restorative justice organizations testified before the committee about chronic difficulties receiving consistent case referrals from PPB and the DA's office, with Restorative Roots Project reporting zero new cases since October 2024 and three staff lost due to funding cuts despite a 100% non-recidivism rate. Police Chief Day acknowledged PPB's lack of internal ownership over restorative justice referrals and committed to addressing the issue, with committee chair Novick signaling intent to apply the same scrutiny that previously increased PPB's use of extreme risk protection orders.
The committee debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings where official public meetings are held, as permitted under 2025 state law, with City Attorney Robert Taylor clarifying violations would constitute a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Councilor Zimmerman opposed the criminal enforcement approach, and the ordinance was deferred with council members and the administration directed to develop revised language for a possible vote at the July 7th committee meeting.
The committee debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings where official public meetings are held, as now permitted under 2025 state law, with City Attorney Robert Taylor clarifying violations would constitute a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Councilor Zimmerman opposed the criminal enforcement approach, and the ordinance was deferred pending revised language, with a possible vote scheduled for the July 7th committee meeting.
The committee debated an ordinance that would prohibit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms into city buildings where official public meetings are held, as newly permitted under 2025 state law, with City Attorney Robert Taylor clarifying the penalty would be a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Councilor Zimmerman objected to criminalizing law-abiding license holders, and the underlying ordinance was deferred pending revised language for a possible vote at the July 7th committee meeting.