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Police Role Model Steps Down
Burton retires after 29 years of service
Victoria Burton went to work for m atic in c id e n ts in p a rtic u la r mission for Women; a Frontline
the Portland Police Bureau in 1981 Portland’s diverse communities.
Soldier by the Albina Ministerial
with the goal o f serving as a role
Because o f the drug and gang Alliance; and earning a Portland
model.
violence that was plaguing the Af P olice B ureau C o m m en d atio n
Today, Burton is retiring after 29 rican American community, Officer Medal.
years o f dedicated service and the Burton envisioned a community
During her tenure with the crises
community is thanking her for the where ministers, civic and commu team, she trained volunteers and
positive influence she has made. nity leaders as well as ordinary citi responded to over450 call-outs rang
The public is invited to her retire- zens o f inner north and northeast ing from homicides, murder-sui
cides, aggravated shootings, vari
ous types o f accidental deaths, of
ficer-involved deaths and commu
nity demonstrations and unrest.
Burton said she saw her work
as a calling. Although she is retir
ing her heart is still with the fam i
lies she served and volunteers
who held her up and served the
com m unity as well. She said her
career has been fulfilling and en
courages other women and people
o f color not ju st to consider but to
choose law enforcem ent as a ca
reer.
Burton hopes that many o f the
families she and the responders she
has worked with over the years will
come to her retirement reception so
she can personally thank them for
their courage and the inspiration
they have had on her life.
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so whatever you do, never approach a downed line. Stay away, keep others away
and call us at 888-221-7070 o r dial 911. There are thousands o f volts flowing
through these lines, so please remember to be safe and keep your distance.
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PACIFIC P O W E R
Let’s turn the answers on.
Victoria Burton is retiring from the Portland Police Bureau after 29
years of service. A public reception will be held Friday, April 23
from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Emmanuel Temple, 1033 N. Sumner St.
ment reception on Friday, April 23
from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Emmanuel
Temple, 1033 N. Sumner St.
Burton began her career by get
ting assigned to the North Precinct
where she could work the Albina
community, which at that time had
the largest population o f African
Americans in Portland.
She believed her presence would
sever as a role model for the elders
to say their struggle was not in vain
and for the younger residence to
know that being a police officer was
not only possible but a good career.
Her work over the years included
the Drug and Vice Division where
she served as an officer assigned to
narcotics. She was later assigned to
the Portland Airport Inter-Agency
Narcotic Team; the bureau’s Per
sonnel Division, where she served
as a minority recruiter; and the Juve
nile Service Division where she
worked with runaway prostitutes
and pimps.
Little did she know that her vari
ous assignments were preparing her
to do something that would have a
life changing impact not only on her
life, but the community at large and
would change the way the bureau
provided services to victims o f trau
Portland would come together on a
formal basis to address the effects
ofviolence and assist the family and
community following a shooting or
homicide.
As part o f this community polic
ing philosophy, former Portland
Police C hief Moose gave his ap
proval and allowed Burton to take
her idea and develop it into a pro
gram for the bureau known as the
Crisis Response Team.
As C hief Moose wrote in his
book “Officer Victoria Wade had
been pushing this idea for a number
o f years. As chief, I was able to
listen to her and then help make her
dream a reality.”
In 1993, Officer Burton was trans
ferred to the North Precinct Neigh
borhood Response Team and later
to the Northeast Response Team
where not only did she begin the
journey o f developing the crisis tern
program but she was also the liaison
officer at Iris Court and for the North
east Aging Services. Later while
managing the CRT she was also
assigned to the black gang detail.
Officer Burton has received nu
merous awards over the years, in
cluding being named a Woman o f
Achievement by the Oregon Com
‘Stay away, keep others away
and call us at 888-221-7070
or call 911.”