The Focused Intervention Team continues its ongoing work toward addressing gun violence in our community. On Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 5:43 p.m., officers from the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Northeast 75th Avenue and Northeast Fremont Street.
During the stop, FIT officers located a firearm under the passenger seat (photo). The 16-year-old male who was in the seat was arrested and later booked into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Home on charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Public (city code).
The 18-year-old female driver was cited for having a suspended license as well as failing to have vehicle insurance. The vehicle was towed.
The Bureau’s Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) work in partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) on a focused deterrence strategy to reduce gun violence called Portland Ceasefire. This citywide strategy centers on collaboration among Portland’s Community Safety Division and Office of Violence Prevention, City leaders, the Portland Police Bureau, and community groups.
More information about Portland Ceasefire is available here: https://www.portland.gov/community-safety/ceasefire
The Focused Intervention Team (FIT) is composed of a Lieutenant, two Sergeants and 12 Officers who were selected to be a part of this specialty unit tasked with helping address gun violence in the city. In between emergency calls, FIT builds relationships with community members and proactively deters violence consistent with their mandate. FIT is overseen by a group of community volunteers known as the Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group, or FITCOG. The FITCOG commenced in June 2021 in response to the gun violence crisis in Portland to work with the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and assist with recommendations to reduce gun violence through prevention, intervention, and response. For more information, see their website: https://www.portland.gov/fitcog . FIT also collaborates with ECST, a team of Sergeants, Detectives, and Officers which focuses on investigating shootings.
FIT and ECST consider all gunfire aimed at Portland community members to be attempted murder cases. Eyewitnesses or video evidence are crucial in solving these cases and these crime victims need people to come forward with any information. If anyone has information about any shooting case, please contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov .
Information can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Oregon. Anyone wishing to submit a secure and anonymous tip regarding any unsolved felony crime should visit http://www.crimestoppersoforegon.com or visit the App Store and download P3 Tips for your mobile device.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 cash for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony crime and tipsters remain anonymous.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is funded 100% by community donations. To support Crime Stoppers with a donation, or to view other unsolved cases, please visit http://www.crimestoppersoforegon.com/ .
Photo description: a semiautomatic handgun with silver slide locked back over a black frame, orange safety tag looped through the barrel and ejection port, displayed on a table next to a firearm magazine and rounds of ammunition
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