A shift in the life of Officer Adam

Like most law enforcement agencies, the Gresham Police Department has a staffing shortage. Gresham has one of the smallest police-to-resident ratios among Oregon's biggest cities.

There are quiet days and then days when our community feels it. March 14 is one of those days.

2:30 pm - Shopping mall and the young woman

Officer Adam's afternoon shift is uneventful at first and welcome because he worked the previous night shift.

Passing through a shopping mall, a young woman instantly recognizes him. She flags him down to thank him for his actions two years earlier. She is clean, sober and doing so much better. This makes him smile.

North central shooting

The quiet doesn't last and he is dispatched to a shooting in north central Gresham. With emergency lights and siren activated, he drives to the scene as quickly and safely as possible. The seriousness of this dispatch requires all Gresham officers on the afternoon shift.

The suspect is quickly arrested but the work is just starting. From collecting evidence and witness interviews to controlling traffic and securing the crime scene. This takes time, resources and every officer on duty.

There are also children to protect. Officer Adam supports them while a plan for their safety and comfort is determined. He stays on the scene for about two hours.

Nightfall - mental health, family dispute calls

While the officers are tied up at the shooting scene, other calls are waiting for more than an hour. For Officer Adam, this includes two disturbance calls.

He visits the home of a mother and daughter experiencing a mental health crisis. Then to another disturbance involving two family members. For officer safety, these calls require at least two officers. Domestic disturbance calls are often the most dangerous for officers and take time to resolve. It's not uncommon for officers to return to these homes multiple times during a shift.

Teenage hoops

Officer Adam stops to talk with two teenagers playing basketball at a middle school. He reminds them the school property is closed at night.

Late night transport

Finally, Officer Adam drives the shooting suspect from earlier to the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland. Then it's back to Gresham to write his reports. It's nearly midnight.

Says Officer Adam: "Every day is different, and every day makes a difference."

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