District 4 Council Candidate and Portland Police Officer Eli Arnold Ranked Among Highest for Reported Force
Based on Portland Police Bureau records, Portland police officer Eli Arnold, who is running for the District 4 City Council seat, places near the very top of the department regarding frequency of force used against individuals. Arnold, a downtown bike patrol officer, has reported using force 59 times since the Portland Police Bureau hired him in May 2017. That places him 14th highest out of 991 officers during that period, establishing him as an outlier in the agency’s records.
The numbers come directly from the Portland Police Bureau use of force reporting dashboard, which is regularly updated 45 days after the end of each quarter. The data was analyzed by a third party and verified by the Portland Mercury. Portland Police Bureau directives require an officer to document each time they use force, categorizing incidents by severity and the likelihood of injury.
Category I represents the most serious level of force, encompassing neck holds, intentionally striking a person, in-custody deaths, and deadly force. Category II involves serious injury, hospitalization, loss of consciousness, and any striking or multiple uses of a taser. Category III covers physical injury resulting from a single taser use, less lethal weapons, takedowns, punching, kicking, or pointing a firearm at a person.
An Outlier in Annual Reports and Peak Years
Records show Arnold sits above the average number of reports every year from 2019 to 2024. Just 12 other officers have notched between 50 and 59 reported uses of force since 2017, and only 13 officers reported 60 or more. Two years stand out most prominently in Arnold’s reporting history. In 2021, Arnold was ranked number one in reported use of force incidents, clocking in with 18 incidents—nearly five times the average calculated across the 465 officers who reported force during that same period. The next four officers tied with 17 incidents each that year, with lower-level Category III and IV incidents split evenly at eight instances each.
The year 2023 followed a similar trajectory. Arnold ranked fifth among all officers who reported using force, logging a total of 13 incidents. That figure was four times higher than the 411 other officers who also reported using force against suspects that year. Broken down by category, Arnold used Category III force six times and Category IV force seven times, with no Category II incidents recorded.
Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner told the Portland Mercury that evaluating force data requires considering an officer’s specific assignment and the nature of their calls. Officers assigned to the bike squad patrol downtown Portland, where they frequently observe criminal activity directly and intervene in real time. Benner noted that such encounters often involve suspects attempting to flee, actively resisting arrest, or experiencing drug-related impairment that complicates gaining safe compliance.
Arnold told the Portland Mercury on October 27 that he was unsure if he could provide comment without crossing boundaries for Portland Police Bureau employees. Documentation from the state indicates that Arnold completed training regarding institutional racism and implicit biases in May 2021, instructional sessions for engaging with homeless individuals in July 2022, De Minimus force instruction in September 2024, and refreshed use of force education in December 2024.
Demographics of Force and Arrest Outcomes
Data indicates that Arnold’s reported uses of force do not apply equally across all populations, reflecting distinct patterns in his downtown assignments. Operating primarily in the Central Precinct and more recently as part of the bike patrol in Old Town, Arnold reported using force in his duties. When broken down by racial demographics, the data shows Arnold disproportionately used force against homeless Portlanders and Black Portlanders, even though Black residents make up a small fraction of the city’s population. By comparison, he used force against white residents at a lower rate than the average officer.
The data also tracks the context and severity of these encounters. Arnold’s most common use of force was reported as controlled against resistance, accounting for 64 percent of his actions. This is on par with overall Portland Police Bureau officer averages, though it stands above the 56 percent mark recorded by other Central Precinct daytime officers.
