PORTLAND, Oregon — Plywood boards protecting the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland will be replaced with new permanent security measures later this year. Permit applications filed with the city indicate metal screens will be added to protect entry doors and bulletproof glass installed to shield windows. The security upgrades are expected to cost $3 million, according to a county spokesperson.
The plywood has been in place for nearly four years. The Justice Center was a focal point of mass demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020. The building suffered significant exterior property damage during protests, including broken windows and spray-painted graffiti.
On May 29, 2020, rioters smashed their way into the Justice Center and set small fires while employees worked inside. The building houses roughly 450 inmates and is the sole booking and release center for Multnomah County.
“These building enhancements will help ensure safety for those inside the Detention Center and that we never sustain such damages in the future,” Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell wrote in a memo included in the permit file.
The approved plans indicate the overall building design and structure won’t change. Instead, security measures will be added to protect ground level doors and windows.
Three public entry locations will have “durable curtain walls, with operable perforated metal panels,” according to city permits. The sliding metal screens will be open during normal business operations but can be closed, blocking the doors if necessary.
“Only during incidents concerning life safety or imminent threat of building damage will these measures be deployed,” wrote Stephen Reardon, Chief Deputy Corrections Facilities in a memo included in the public files.
Bulletproof glass and metal infill panels will cover openings on the building’s façade on the side facing Southwest 3rd Avenue. Other street-level windows on the north and south side of the building will have ballistic glazing and metal framing.
Construction at the Justice Center is expected to begin in December, with scheduled completion in March 2025.
Across the street, construction crews are also working on security upgrades outside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. Crews are installing large, stainless steel airplane hangar-type doors which can be lowered to protect the front of the building. The federal courthouse in downtown Portland suffered $1.6 million in damages during the 2020 protests, according to a federal report.
In response to civil unrest during the summer of 2020 and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Congress approved a total of $127.5 million in funding during fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to harden court facilities.