Public safety

Fight Back Against Crime When: Tue, Aug 06, 2019 8AM-8PM Where: Various locations throughout Gresham Get Map!

Its fun with a purpose! Everyone's invited to National Night Out, when the Citys Neighborhoods across the city hold cookouts, block parties, and fun activities for all ages in select parks with Police, Fire and City officials visiting to say hello.

Join your neighbors on Tuesday, August 6, to strengthen neighborhood spirit and build strong police-community partnerships.

To organize a National Night Event in your neighborhood, or find out if there's an event already planned in your neighborhood, contact Michael Gonzales at 503-618-2482 or Michael.Gonzales@GreshamOregon.gov.

Learn more about National Night Out.

Vandalism, theft, broken windows, fights and stolen vehicles By Greg Hartung Gresham area businesses along a stretch of NE Sandy Blvd had recently experienced an alarming uptick in criminal activities.

From NE 162th to NE 181st, reports of vandalism, theft, breaking of glass windows and doors, fences cut, harassment of employees, fights and stolen vehicles now have businesses on high alert. Many of these activities are thought to be contributed by the increased population of campers within the Big Four Corners wetlands area.

Big Four Corners is an area of about 165 acres of fragile wetlands located north of Gresham that is owned and managed by Portland Parks and Recreation. Some sources say as many as 250 people are currently camping in this area. It is an important habitat for deer, coyote, river otter as well as a variety of birds and amphibians.

Gresham police can do very little as jurisdiction ends along Gresham’s northern border. The Union Pacific rail line divides Gresham from East Portland and the Big Four Corners wetlands. It is just beyond the reach of Gresham Police where many of these campers reside, however they are still within yards of the businesses on the south side of the border. While Union Pacific does conduct its own law enforcement patrols, they are limited to about 50 feet on each side of the tracks. Portland Parks and Recreation has park rangers who patrol the area.

On April 5th, 2019, a meeting at Gresham City Hall was conducted by the City of Gresham’s Economic Development, Gresham Police and Gresham’s Homeless Services departments and was well attended by many of those businesses affected by these recent activities. Representatives from SEKO Logistics, Cedar Source, Royal Bearing, Northwest Handling, Teeny Foods, Portland Bakery as well as Wilkes East and North Gresham neighborhood associations expressed very similar concerns to the City of Gresham. The crime has been costly to these businesses. Some businesses have gone to great expense to shore up security, such as replacing windows with reinforced glass, fences and hiring security patrol at night.

City of Gresham will be working more closely with the City of Portland and other agencies, but it is feared to get worse before it gets better. Word of mouth and sweeps of campers from other areas are bringing more campers to the Big Four Corners wetlands.

When: Thu, Mar 14, 2019 6PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Join the Gresham Fire Command Staff, current firefighters, and Human Resources to learn about the Gresham Fire Department, the selection process, strategies to be a successful candidate, and career opportunities as a Gresham Firefighter.

For more information about this event, contact us at HR@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-2549.

Share Your Opinions When: Mon, Mar 18, 2019 6:30PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

City Council and staff will host the first of four Community Conversations in 2019 on Public Safety - Police and Fire Services The 1.5-hour forum will provide an opportunity for the City to report on current public safety programs and projects and gather input from community members during the open discussion period.

For more information about this event, contact Teresa Hall at 503-618-2871 or Teresa.Hall@GreshamOregon.gov.

Peaceful Solutions When: Tue, Nov 27, 2018 6PM-7:30PM Where: Wood Village City Hall 2055 NE 238th Dr. Wood Village OR Get Map!

The holidays can be a joyous and wonderful time for families and friends to gather and celebrate. However, tough topics like politics and religion can make those gatherings difficult.

This 1.5-hour training is an introduction on how to utilize conflict management skills to enhance learning experiences around tough topics like religion and politics. Participants will be actively engaged throughout the training with the help of experts that will provide coaching through hands on practice.

This training is free to those who live or work in Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village or unincorporated east Multnomah County. $10 fee for those who are outside of east county.

Contact East Metro Mediation at 503-618-3247 or Mediate@GreshamOregon.gov to register.

When: Thu, Jan 25, 2018 6PM-8PM Where: Gresham High School Library 1200 North Main Ave. Get Map!

The public is invited to attend this community event, which will feature:

• Table discussions
• Panel of officers describing their duties
• Chief's summary
• Question and answer session

For more information about this event, contact Lt. Jeff Miller at Jeff.Miller@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-2260.

162nd Max Station (view east), 162nd & E Burnside, Portland OR

By Jenny Glass
Executive Director, Rosewood Initiative

(Update: On November 29, 2017 TriMet decided they won't be going forward with changing the name of the 162nd Ave MAX station. Residents of the Rockwood, Wilkes East and Wilkes Community group had expressed strong feelings against the name change during recent neighborhood meetings.)

(Update: At the November 13, 2017 Wilkes East Neighborhood Association General Meeting neighbors approved a motion to support the Rosewood/162nd Max station name change.)

The Rosewood Initiative, a community organization serving the neighborhood since 2009, has requested that TriMet change the 162nd Ave MAX station name to Rosewood/162nd. This is a request to honor, identify and lift up the community that the station resides in. It is part of a larger effort for and by the community to create a sense of place and belonging. Where is Rosewood?

No one has claimed "ownership" in the form of investment, financial or otherwise, in this MAX stop since it was created. In fact, although the 162nd MAX station has one of the highest rates of ridership compared to other stops, the station area has received almost no public or private investment since it was built. Here's a snapshot of the lack of investment:

The public sector has invested in mixed-use buildings, pedestrian improvements and crime prevention programs to improve MAX ridership. At the 162nd Avenue station, that amount totaled $900,000.

By comparison, the public sector has spent $28 million improving the area around the Killingsworth MAX station, the audit said. The Tuality MAX station in Hillsboro has drawn $12 million in transit-oriented public investment.

When the public sector does not invest in a community for decades, we collectively pay the price by having to react to symptoms like concentrated poverty and high crime and consequently an extraordinary amount of police and emergency response services, as well as social safety net services. Maintaining brokenness is very expensive. We can't afford it.

Renaming the MAX station is an opportunity for us to come together as a community and create a strategy for investment around the 162nd MAX station. The Rosewood Initiative has stepped up to lead the advocacy for investment in this station.

The Rosewood Initiative was started to reduce crime in the area. Rebuilding relationships between community and police in both Gresham and Portland was one of the first strategies. But even the Portland and Gresham Police that started The Rosewood Initiative understood that the high crime in this area was not going to be solved by policing, but by public and private sectors coming together and collectively investing in a community.

We would love to work together with Rockwood Neighborhood Association, Wilkes East Neighborhood Association, City of Gresham, TriMet, Metro, and the people that live near the 162nd Ave MAX station to create a comprehensive strategy for investment that is led by the people that live in the community.

We believe that one of the first steps toward collectively taking ownership of the 162nd Ave MAX station area is to give it its own unique identity. Since this area is now known to many as "Rosewood" we think this is a symbolic gesture to highlight the cross-jurisdictional investment that is imperative to support the Rosewood community.

More Info
For more information contact The Rosewood Initiative.

When: Sat, Oct 07, 2017 9AM-12PM Where: Gresham Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Gresham citizens are welcome to join the Gresham Police Department as they conduct a free presentation on active shooter education and response.

Attendees will learn how to prepare, prevent and react to an active shooter scenario.

All members of Gresham businesses, schools, organizations and the community are encouraged to attend. Come and have your questions answered.

For more information about this event, contact Sgt. Theodore Van Beek at Theodore.VanBeek@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-3193.

Peaceful Solutions When: Tue, Sep 19, 2017 6PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Through understanding communication, this free 2-hour training will introduce professional debrief and how to utilize active listening and open-ended questions to capitalize on teachable moments and turn opportunities for improvement into commitments for action. Participants will be actively engaged throughout the training with the help of experts that will provide coaching through hands on practice.

Contact East Metro Mediation to register at 503-618-3247 or Mediate@GreshamOregon.gov.

Grab Your Bike, Join the Fun! When: Sat, May 13, 2017 10AM-2PM Where: Gresham City Hall 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Bring your bike and have fun at our Bike Rodeo course, while also learning and practicing the rules of the road. Travel through five stations to learn basic bike safety and ride an obstacle course to test your bike-handling skills.

In addition, have your bike checked out for safety, your helmet adjusted with Legacy Healths Trauma Nurses Talk Tough program, and learn ways to extend your bicycle trips by using the bus or MAX.

Read more about Bike Month events in Gresham.

For more information, contact Jay Higgins at 503-618-2215 or Jay.Higgins@GreshamOregon.gov.