(Originally published in CNS News.)
Nike is one of Portland, Oregon’s largest employers. The shoe manufacturer headquarters is located there and so is their flagship retail store.
However, the store closed last year in the wake of the increased crime that has plagued city businesses following the George Floyd riots.
In 2022, Portland had 101 homicides, which broke the record of 92 from 2021. The National Retail Federation also reported that in 2021, retailers saw an average 26.5 percent increase in organized retail crime incidents compared to 2020.
That doesn’t present the best look for the company or the City of Portland.
Part of the problem is that Nike instructed security guards and employees not to try to and stop shoplifters in an effort to protect the workers. This is similar to policies that other businesses have. It also creates an open invitation to criminals and while it may protect workers (although that is debatable since the policy attracts more criminals to the store endangering workers), it doesn’t keep them employed, as retail locations can’t continue to remain open due to inventory losses.
In February, Nike reportedly sent a letter to the Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler asking for additional security at the retail store in Portland. The company offered to pay for the cost of the additional police officers needed.
“Because a safe and secure workplace is essential for our employees, consumers, and communities, we have proposed a sustained and coordinated partnership with the City to better protect employees, consumers, and the community surrounding our MLK Community Store,” a Nike spokesperson told Newsweek.
While Wheeler would probably love to help one of the area’s leading employers, he doesn’t have the police numbers to offer them. Not only is the city facing a shortage of police officers, it is dealing with its own increasing crime.
Between January 2022 and January 2023, Portland Police dealt with more than 6,000 burglary incidents and more than 27,000 larceny offenses.
Stephanie Howard, the director of community safety, said, “We already rely heavily on OT [overtime] to reach minimum staffing levels for regular shifts, so there is no way we could provide dedicated officers to any business, regardless of its willingness to pay for the costs.”
After years of blaming police for the problems in the city, the real issues finally become clear.
Police have left the force. It is becoming harder to blame them for the surging crime in the city because they are involved less and less; not because they aren’t doing their job, but because there are fewer of them to respond to the calls. And things will only continue to get worse until the city’s mindset toward police changes.
Businesses have their own part of the blame to share, though. If their policy is not to protect their business with effective loss prevention, why even have security?
If the businesses, government, and people of Portland want to get crime under control in the city, first, they need to be willing to prosecute criminals and imprison them if needed. Then, they need to respect the men and women who would risk their lives to rid them of the wrongdoers.
When they do that, crime will start going down.
