Matt Byrne

Portland Press Herald

Matt Byrne has covered crime and public safety for the Press Herald since 2016. It is his second beat since being hired at the Press Herald in late 2012, when he left the Boston Globe's suburban news bureau. Matt grew up outside Philadelphia, moved to Boston to attend Emerson College and now loves living in Maine. When he is not nerding out on court documents or listening to a police scanner, Matt loves to work on old cars, make things out of metal and try new craft beers. Offers to drive your race car, or news tips, are always welcome.

Latest

Published
June 12, 2020

Black people more likely than white people to face arrest, use of force by Portland police

Although black people make up about 7-8% of the city’s population, they have accounted for 17-23% of the arrests in the city in recent years, according to data released by the police department Friday.
Published
June 9, 2020

Portland man says critical tweets led police officers to his door with summons

Christian MilNeil then tweeted about two officers showing up at his house to serve a summons for graffiti. Police, who also tweeted during the incident, deny they were retaliating for critical comments he made about the Portland department.
Published
June 8, 2020

Portland Police Department releases use-of-force policy

It bars the use of chokeholds, neck restraints and other tactics that might cut off someone’s ability to breathe.
Published
June 3, 2020

Greater Portland chiefs vow to listen, but offer no policy changes

Current and former police chiefs from 9 communities in Greater Portland gathered Wednesday to condemn the killing of George Floyd, and said they ‘can and must do better,’ vowing to listen to demonstrators’ concerns about race and policing.
Published
June 2, 2020

Portland chief and other officials meet with protest organizers to hear grievances

Protest organizers Hamdia Ahmed and Abdul Ali held a virtual meeting Tuesday with the chiefs of Westbrook and Portland police and state and local officials to discuss the mistreatment of people of color that had led to their demonstrations.
Published
June 2, 2020

Police arrest 23 during overnight confrontations with anti-racism demonstrators

Portland police say 22 people were charged with failure to disperse, and one man, a tractor-trailer driver, was charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon for driving into the protest area. All have since been bailed out.
Published
June 1, 2020

Over 1,000 protesters demonstrate in Portland, some clash with police as tensions flare later in the night

The crowd gathered at the police station Monday to protest the death of a black man detained by police in Minneapolis, chanting ‘I can’t breathe’ as they staged a die-in. Police arrested 23 people after several tense standoffs and some vandalism.
Published
May 31, 2020

State presses pause on training new police officers

The Maine Criminal Justice Academy had to cut short its in-person training of the latest class and is still working out how to restart the program for the next class of prospective officers.
Published
May 29, 2020

Hundreds take to Portland streets to protest Minneapolis police killing

Demonstrators marched through the downtown area Friday afternoon, and one group blocked Franklin Street.
Published
May 28, 2020

State warns owners to renew lapsed vehicle registrations

Most Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices will reopen for limited in-person business Monday, and the state said motorists must register vehicles by July 11 unless their town or city offices remain closed.