Portland City Council approved a $207,411 Oregon transportation grant by an 11-1 vote for four targeted street-takeover operations from July 8 to Sept. 30, 2026. At least two are expected to clear an event and restore traffic within an hour of police receiving a call.
About $173,000—roughly 84% of the grant—is budgeted for personnel and benefits, with $34,219 for equipment; Portland police are adding a $50,000 General Fund match. The grant also covers air support, dispatch and public-information staff, and allocates 5% to the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability. City documents refer to deployable and static cameras but do not specify exact locations, vendors or footage-retention and access rules.
Portland recorded 139 documented street-racing events in 2023, including three multi-day gatherings that each drew more than 1,000 participants. The events triggered 238 service calls and were tied to four vehicle-related deaths that year; the city says 12 homicides since 2021 have been connected to takeover events. A 2023 Oregon law raised penalties for repeat street-racing offenders to as much as five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
