Portland’s violent crime jump outpaced US, FBI data shows

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The increase in violent crime in Portland, Oregon between 2020 and 2021 outpaced the rest of the United States, according to the latest FBI data. 

The FBI released its latest figures last Wednesday, showing that violent crime in the U.S. more or less remained steady between 2020 and 2021. 

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​​​​​​​A Portland, Ore., police officer scans the crowd while dispersing protesters, Aug. 21, 2020.  (Getty Images)

"Overall, the analysis shows violent and property crime remained consistent between 2020 and 2021. While the aggregate estimated violent crime volume decreased 1% for the nation from (1.32 million) in 2020 to (1.13 million) in 2021, the estimated number of murders increased from 22,000 in 2020 to 22,900 in 2021," the FBI said in a press release. 

The FBI data, while not accounting for every jurisdiction in every state, indicated that violent crime shot up more than 38% in Portland, Oregon, from 3,148 violent crime incidents in 2020 to 4,374 in 2021. 

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Portland’s homicide rates, however, remained far below their peak in the late 1980s. 

Critical to note, the FBI data accounted for only around 62% of law enforcement agencies across the country that submitted data. 

Portland Police released an image of the crime scene here a man was fatally shot by police on June 25, 2021 (Portland Police Bureau)

Still, the data comes as Republicans seek to make tackling crime a major campaign issue going into next month’s midterms. 

Next month, Oregon voters will decide whether gubernatorial candidates Christine Drazan, a Republican, or Tina Kotek, a Democrat, will replace current Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. Should Drazan win, she would be the first Republican governor elected in Oregon in more than 40 years. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Portland Police Department and the Portland Police Association for comment.