Portland homicides down over 50% compared to this time last year

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Homicides in Portland are trending significantly down at the start of 2023.

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By March 1 in 2022 Portland had already racked up 19 murders, compared to March 1, 2023 the city has only recorded nine homicides since the start of the year, according to official Portland Police data.

This represents a 52.6% decrease in homicides year over year.

A PPB spokesman confirmed that “homicide numbers are way down.”

In 2022, Portland’s 101 homicides represented a new, grisly record high for the city.

This exceeded the record high of 92 homicides set only the year before. Both 2022 and 2021 saw far more homicides than the previous high of 70 in Portland in 1987.

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However, the start of 2023 so far looks more promising than last year. But, only time will tell if that trend continues.

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