PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF TO RUN IN PORTLAND HALF MARATHON

News Release from: Portland Police Bureau
PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF TO RUN IN PORTLAND HALF MARATHON
Posted: October 8th, 2010 12:11 PM

Portland Police Chief Michael Reese is running the Portland Half Marathon on Sunday October 10, 2010 to raise funds for the Mounted Patrol Unit. The total amount pledged to date for Chief Reese and the Mounted Patrol now reaches to more than $18,000 nearly reaching the Friends of the Mounted Patrol's (FMP) goal of $20,000. A number of individuals and organizations have stepped up as part of this effort including a $10,000 donation from downtown Portland‟s Clean & Safe District.

In August of this year, the Portland Marathon announced the FMP would be an official charity of the Portland Marathon. Chief Reese and Sergeant Franz Schoening signed up to run the Half Marathon to raise money for the FMP. The back of the medal for this year‟s Half Marathon will have an engraved image of a mounted patrol officer and horse. In addition, the Kid's Run and Festival at Lincoln High School will give proceeds from their event to the Friends of Portland's Mounted Patrol.

"We are grateful to the Clean & Safe District and our many other donors for supporting the Mounted Patrol Unit as their board clearly understands the important role the unit plays in keeping downtown safe," said Bob Ball, board member of the FMP.

"We also want to thank all of our other supporters who have gone to the Portland Marathon website to contribute money to the Mounted Patrol Unit. Of course, none of this would be possible without the Portland Marathon."

"The Mounted Patrol is one of our important partners in making Downtown Portland a safe place for everyone who enjoys downtown," said Michelle Martin, chair of the Clean & Safe board of directors and a senior property manager with Ashforth Pacific. "We know that budgets are tight and we hope that these funds can help the unit keep up its good work."

The public can donate to support Chief Reese running in the Half Marathon by going to the following link: http://www.active.com/donate/mountedpatrol. You do not have to be a marathon participant to donate or fundraise for the MPU. The Kid's Run and Festival will be on Saturday, October 9 at Lincoln High School from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the Half Marathon will be on Sunday, October 10 starting at 7:00 a.m.

About FMP
The FMP is a private, nonprofit group that offers financial aid to the Police Bureau's Mounted Patrol Unit. In addition, the group assists the MPU as needed in all aspects of its operations. The FMP recently gave $100,000 to the City of Portland to prevent the elimination of the MPU from the City of Portland's budget and committed to raise additional money in support of the MPU.

About Clean & Safe District
The Clean & Safe District was created more than 20 years ago to support additional cleaning and security in the central city. The district, funded by downtown property owners and managers, includes 213 blocks in the central city, and also supports market research and retail recruitment and retention efforts. The district is managed by the Portland Business Alliance under the direction of the district's board of directors.

Sent out by the Portland Police Bureau on behalf of the Friends of the Mounted Patrol.