Dec 10, 2020
Photo: Getty Images
Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a resolution that directs the Portland Police Bureau to inventory its crowd control munitions, submit written reports to Council, and establish new authorization procedures for the PPB’s acquisition and procurement of military-style equipment.
Historically, the cost and scope of the PPB’s munitions arsenal were not itemized in the bureau’s larger External Material and Services line item—this resolution will ensure that while Council continues to address inequitable policing practices, Council and the public will have additional transparency into what weapons are at the bureau’s disposal and what those weapons cost. “In 1925, the Geneva Protocol banned the military use of tear gas.