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Schmidt also brings a holistic approach to his job—one that looks at root causes, outcomes, and ways in which the criminal justice system can be a change agent, and prevent people from re-entering the system, or spending their lives entangled in it. [...] Still, it’s hard to tell whether Vasquez can be trusted to reflect the kind of progressive values we hope to see in local government and in the justice system. Vasquez voted as a Republican until 2017.

Schmidt’s challenger Nathan Vasquez is a senior deputy district attorney, at times revising his own support of Schmidt’s more progressive approaches to arrests and arrest dismissals. This revision has successfully garnered him the support of the Portland Police Association, but little in the way of BIPOC support. His law-and-order platform is a misguided fix for complex issues that require thoughtful solutions, not force.

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission approved the $100,000 award Monday, following a direct pitch for financial assistance by Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Portland Police Chief Bob Day.

“Addressing bias crimes and helping repair the damage of these crimes to victims and communities is a top priority for me and my office,” Schmidt said. “This funding will allow us to increase and improve our investigations, which will ultimately result in more prosecution, accountability for perpetrators, and justice for victims of bias crimes.” 

“On the prosecution side of things we try to send a clear message: ‘If you pick up a gun and you’re shooting. We’ll find you, you’ll be arrested and we’re going to hold you accountable,'” Schmidt said. “But we also recognize that a safer and healthier community can’t just be about reaction. We also have to be about prevention and getting upstream.”

Former Portland Mayor Tom Potter has endorsed Mike Schmidt for the 2024 Multnomah County District Attorney’s race.

Mr. Potter served as mayor of Portland from 2005 to 2009. Previously, he served Portland for 27 years as a police officer, including serving three years as Chief of Police for PPB.

“As DA, Mike has focused on our most pressing public safety challenges like gun violence and car thefts. At the same time he is implementing much needed reforms to address transparency, accountability, an

Twelve people have graduated Multnomah County’s STEP Court as the program shows a low recidivism rate within its first year, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Friday.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, the East Precinct ran a joint agency Stolen Vehicle Operation with Gresham police, Port of Portland Police, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the district attorney's Auto Theft Task Force, PPB's K9 Unit and Air Support Unit. 

“I still believe connecting people to treatment is the right thing, but we also have to preserve our public spaces for everybody, and right now that’s not happening,” he said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

DA Mike Schmidt said his office is also working with OHSU on a homicide review committee to study ways to intervene before someone commits a homicide.

In the interview, DA Schmidt discusses some of Multnomah County's most pressing problems and how his office is addressing them.

Nearly $800,000 from the city and Multnomah County will go to hire two special teams of prosecutors and investigators to build cases against people accused of chronic retail theft and car heists plaguing Portland, District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Monday.

A rise in crime during the pandemic across most of Oregon’s largest cities – including Portland – is abating, according to a new state analysis of preliminary federal crime data.