While crime across the country remained largely steady in 2021 compared to previous years, violent crime in Portland continued to increase.

According to data released by the FBI and gathered from law enforcement agencies across the country, Portland experienced a 38% increase in violent crime, such as homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults.

“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 wrote in their report.

The one outlier was the city of Portland, which demonstrated a significant increase in total violent crimes, with over 4,000 in 2021, nearly 1,000 more than in 2020.

In 2021, the city recorded an all-time high in homicides, although the murder rate per capita did not reach its all-time 1987 high.

In 2022, homicides in the city continue to skyrocket.

According to the Portland Police Department, there have been 37 homicides since May, compared to 35 by the same time last year.

Additionally, there have been 3,721 assaults, 16 human trafficking offenses, 43 kidnappings or abductions, and 236 sex offenses in the city in 2022, which shows the city is still outpacing the rest of the country in these metrics.

Of note, the FBI report did not include data from Los Angeles and New York due to methodological changes.

In addition, nearly 40% of jurisdictions failed to submit data last year.

Republicans in the district are running on the platform of addressing violent crime and boosting law enforcement numbers for the upcoming midterm elections.

Portland police are still struggling with staffing shortages as well, which further compounds the issue.