Oregon Public Broadcasting

Porltand Police announced the results Tuesday of a bust in which 158 people were arrested for drug crimes in downtown Portland. The crackdown came after residents complained dealers and addicts were congregating around Old Town, Chinatown and Waterfront Park.

As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, homeowners there say when Portland's 'drug exclusion zone' was abandoned in October, activity exploded.

Mike Kuykendall is a vice president of the Portland Business Alliance, -- a group of local companies that aims  to keep downtown clean, safe and bustling. Kuykendall also lives there.

At a meeting to announce the crackdown, he said everything from construction to the end of the city's drug exclusion zone, conspired to focus drug activity in one spot.

Mike Kuykendall: "Since the beginning of the year, since the transit mall moved over, we saw a displacement of individuals from 5th and 6th, who were kind of embedded, they were relaxed they knew where they could hide more easily. When they went over to 3rd and 4th they were not in their comfort zone. And then of course, when the zone went away, we saw a huge spike as well.  And we a few days before the zone expired we had people that we knew were drug dealers, were telling our security officers, well five more days, four more days, three more days, kind of throwing it in their face, that they knew the zone was expiring."

Kuykendall isn't just blowing smoke  -- 9-1-1 calls in the area jumped from an average of one-or-two a month, to 65 a month.

Commander Mike Reece of the Central Precinct says he called the district's other four precincts to ask for help and they put together a plan.

Mike Reece: "Phase 1 of our mission was to conduct under drug buys. We used undercover personnel to make purchases of crack cocaine and other illegal drugs in downtown Portland. We sent out our undercover personnel that were male and female, different racial and ethnic backgrounds, attempting to buy any illegal substances people were willing to sell."

Police made 44 buys of crack cocaine, 18 of imitation crack, and 24 of marijuana. But interestingly enough, no heroin was purchased.

Mike Reece: "We believe that the dealers associated with heroin are using a pager and cell phone delivery method, instead of street corner sales. And so they've changed their business practices to adapt to our law enforcement practices."

Still, the cops made 158 arrests and wrote 34 citations. In addition, they also handed 68 felony drug cases to the district attorney's office, which is now arranging for warrants.

Mike Reece: "We are actively seeking them. If citizens have information about their whereabouts we would encourage them to call the police."

Reece says the mission had a second part, in which patrols were increased to make sure new dealers didn't simply come in and displace old dealers.

Mike Reece: "We had officers on foot beat, bike, our mounted patrol unit, undercover personnel still out there doing spotting missions, but instead of seeking warrants, weÕd make immediate arrests."

Reece says initially buying and selling was displaced to the eastside industrial district, but police have now increased patrols there too.

Jose Cienfuego a deputy district attorney with Multnomah County, says he's been impressed with the clean-up. But he says, some of those arrested, even if convicted of a drug felony, won't get jail.

Jose Cienfuego: "Well if you have no criminal history for a level six, let's say selling crack downtown, they're looking at presumptive probation. But it doesn't take much as far as a criminal history is concerned, before they're already looking at presumptive prison. A lot of the people we're dealing with on this mission really are those people. We're talking 30 page criminal histories on some these people."

He says the worst offenders face a maximum of two-and-a-half years in prison.