Portland Police Dept. Spending Records Show 200% Increase In Overtime Pay For Officers This Year

According to new data out of Portland, the city’s police department spent $6.9 million between June and July to pay officers for overtime hours spent protecting residents amid ongoing rioting and looting in the city’s streets. This reportedly marks a 200-percent increase from overtime pay last year during the same time period.

Additionally, the Portland Police Department has spent tens-of-thousands of dollars on fencing, munitions and other crowd control equipment in an effort to quell the unrest.

Police officers in the city have fought against violent rioters for more than 100 nights in a row with 59 arrests made in the city last Saturday alone.

Back in June, however, the city council voted to slash at least $15 million from the police department’s budget, which met just a fraction of the $50 million protesters hoped would be cut.