Mayor Ted Wheeler announced on Twitter that the Portland Police Bureau will stop charging crime victims for their own police reports on Jan. 1.

The change comes amid criticism for lengthy backlogs and expensive fees for crime victims, journalists and members of the public looking for information in Portland police records.

"This fee has been in place for a long time, under many administrations," Wheeler tweeted.

The $30 fee dates back to 2015, when PPB tripled prices for basic police reports from $10. WW  first reported the bureau's months-long backlog and a sharp increase in pricing for police reports in December 2016. The bureau pointed to a number of technical problems and insufficient staffing to explain the delays.

"I can't make any good excuses because there aren't any," police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said at the time.

The mayor's office declared it would look into the problem after The Oregonian wrote again about the backlog and compared PPB's public record policies to the Seattle Police Department's. Unlike Portland, Seattle typically provides police reports within a day or two, The Oregonian reported.

"Little by little, reform is happening," Wheeler said.