Advanced Academy: All police recruits in Oregon are required to attend a state-wide academy training program. This 16-week program is run by the State of Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) and provides new officers with academic and skills-based training necessary for effective policing. Once officers from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) complete their training with DPSST, they are then required to complete additional training with PPB that goes beyond the core skills taught at DPSST and helps build on what new officers have already learned. 

Ten core disciplines are taught at PPB’s Advanced Academy, including Community Engagement. The Community Engagement class “equips officers with knowledge and skills in community policing, community engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The curriculum includes foundational skills and practices to foster improved relationships between the police and the community, such as wellness, cultural awareness, and communication”.[1] This innovative training serves as an introduction of new officers to the multifaceted and diverse communities residing in the Portland area, teaches new officers how they can help build trust and legitimacy through their everyday interactions with the public, frames public safety in a customer service mindset, and identifies community policing strategies within the scope of PPB’s mission.

One of the most innovative aspects of the Community Engagement class is that new officers get to meet with and engage in small groups with representatives of Portland’s ethnic/cultural/religious group advisory councils (e.g., Slavic Advisory Council, Muslim Advisory Council, African American Advisory Council, Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Council, Latino Advisory Council). The small group discussions allow new officers to practice interactions with someone of a different culture/ethnicity/religion, learn about specific issues those communities face, ask questions about things that could lead to trust erosion, discover how these distinct groups show respect, and more. Conversely, bringing in these police representatives allows the community to feel seen and heard by PPB.

PPB continues to work toward greater transparency by developing open data best practices. PPB hosts a public data portal, PPB Open Data, on its website with more than a dozen interactive dashboards, data sets, and report options. Available data and performance metrics consist of calls for service, arrests, reported offenses, overtime usage, shooting incidents, bias crimes, and police use of force incidents, among others. The portal provides an opportunity for community members to navigate trending topics related to crime and policing. It serves as a repository of raw data for researchers. The portal helps satisfy public records requests and aims to create a more informed public. The PPB has become a leader in open data best practices, providing training to other departments, presenting it at the national level, and being recognized nationally as one of the top agencies on the Police Data Transparency Index. PPB’s open data sets and visualizations adhere to three main principles when being considered for publication: transparency, consistency, and accessibility. Transparency creates an environment of trust, exhibits accountability within the community, and streamlines work processes already in place. Consistency ensures data is easy to use, and the PPB strives to provide contexts for all available data and be vigilant in its messaging. Accessibility is a principle that PPB is continuously improving on to make data more user friendly through interactive visualizations for data analysis and by optimizing available data so it can be consumed by a wider audience. PPB also conducts ongoing evaluations to identify new data sets, improve past publications, and reevaluate processes to ensure PPB is aligned with modern data-sharing approaches.  

In 2024, PPB committed to using an equity lens during policy review and development. Portland is a diverse and multicultural city, and PPB officers encounter individuals of many diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and ethnicities. By using an equity lens tool in the review of existing policies and the creation of new policies, PPB is taking concrete steps to contribute to the citywide goals of equitable outcomes and antiracism. By intentionally applying principles of equity to agency policies and procedures, police organizations can address inequality, increase representation and engagement, and implement strategies to address public safety within the community. The equity lens uses five steps: Establish Equitable Goals through Equity Lens Use; Determine Impacts and Disparities on different communities who may be affected by policy change; Collaborate and Engage with partners and community members; Review and Revise any existing or newly created policies for potential inequitable outcomes; and Evaluate and Report on any outcomes related to the policy. Use of the equity lens is also codified in PPB policy, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to minimizing inequity in efforts to bolster public safety.