Police Chief Bob Day on ‘Blue Flu’ Accusations, High-Priority Call Response Times, and Needing More Police Officers
City Cast Portland host Claudia Meza is talking with Portland Chief of Police Bob Day about everything from repairing community trust to stats pointing to a sharp decrease in homicides. We’re also tackling the perception of a “blue flu” regarding increasing response times on high-priority calls. Chief Day started with the Portland police bureau in 1990 after serving with the Oregon state police and has over 29 years of law enforcement experience. He retired as deputy chief of the Portland police bureau in 2019, but much like Michael Corleone, just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in — he’s been our chief of police since 2023.
Discussed in today's episode:
‘We are failing in many areas’: Portland police report finds response times average 20 minutes [Oregonian]
Portland sees sharp declines in shootings, homicides in recent years [KGTV]
Complaints against Portland police rise in 2025, including 42% jump from within bureau [KATU]
Portland ranks No. 7 among U.S. cities for its investments to prevent and reduce gun violence [Portland.gov]
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