July 10 on The Story: For a number of law enforcement agencies, but particularly the Portland Police Bureau, we've heard a common refrain since 2020 - there simply aren't enough officers staffed to handle what they need to handle. And it isn't a question of funding, it's largely come down to recruitment and training. Oregon has just one training facility for all law enforcement recruits in the state, DPSST in Salem. And for several years now, it's been completely backlogged, with recruits waiting months to go through their basic training. But in June, Gov. Tina Kotek and the academy's director announced that they'd finally cleared that huge backlog, meaning the timeline is back to normal for new hires. So, how did they accomplish it?
Watch more The Story videos: bit.ly/watchTheStory
Follow The Story on Twitter: TheStoryKGW
Follow The Story on Instagram: thestorykgw