northwest
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Queer crisis response team is looking for a few good volunteers
by Malka Geffen
o one ever anticipates a traumatic
event. But when they occur, we rely on
our police force to respond quickly and
efficiently. With the pressing details of
a crime scene, can we expect officers to
4ocus sensitively on our needs as victims?
According to Danny Rosen, a transgender
member of the Sexual Minorities Crisis Response
Team, the police have their hands full. “The team
allows a police officer to focus on his job and allows
people affected by the event to have a focus for
their concerns,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard for
people to understand that officers are not ignoring
their needs. {The teamj gives community members
someone who’s aware of the whole process to help
them through a very critical time in their life.”
A former president of Northwest Gender
Alliance, Rosen was active in the Sexual
Minorities Roundtable, which brings community
members together with law enforcement agents. He
learned about the crisis response team through the
roundtable.
“The police department has not had some of the
best relationships with the community, which is why
I got involved with the roundtable,” he said. “I joined
the crisis response team because, in times of trauma
and stress, having people there who have an under
standing of what’s special to that community helps
build that relationship.”
Rosen completed the 40-plus hours of required
crisis response training through the Portland Police
Bureau in 2002. Committed to being on call for one
week every three weeks, he carries a pager and will
drop what he’s doing or wake up in the middle of the
night to arrive on the scene within 30 minutes.
“I’ve only been called six times in about two
years,” said Rosen. “It’s a commitment, but it’s not
burdensome."
While calls might be few and far between,
Rosen said there is always apprehension involved.
“It’s kind of a two-way street to bridge the awkward
gap between parties,” he said. “No one knows the
proper etiquette in the situation—people are
wondering what they can really talk to the police
about while the police are trying to be sensitive to
the community.”
Rosen recalled a suicide he was summoned to
involving a lesbian couple. “There was confusion
over where the suicide incurred and whether it was
truly a suicide. Obviously if someone walks in and is
concerned about their partner, there will be a distur
bance of evidence and the scene. The police were
trying to sort through and figure what happened,” he
said. “1 was able to talk with the partner and mem
bers of her community and get resources in tp talk to
investigators about that person’s lifestyle. It’s impor
tant to get the players together and get them to talk.”
. According to Deborah Monk, Portland Police
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Bureau crisis response team sen
ior administrative specialist, the
From left, Officer Marci Jackson heads up the Sexual Minorities
first team was formed in July
Crisis Response Team with William Warren and Deborah Monk.
1994 after North and Northeast
Portland community members and the bureau
Support does not end at the crisis scene. Team
formed a partnership to address the high number of members also assist with funeral arrangements and
deaths because of gang- and drug-related violence.
attend related services. According to Rosen, team
She said that within the first year of operation, the
members can be in contact with the victims for a
team responded to almost 30 calls, ranging from
couple of days or weeks, depending on their per
homicide, suicide and Sudden Infant Death
sonal support network. “There are various things
Syndrome toother traumatic incidents. Because of people don’t think about at the time of a crisis, and
its successful efforts, the Asian, Hispanic and
we can help them realize there are resources out
Sexual Minorities Crisis Response Teams were
there,” he said.
established in 1995 and 1996. According to Monk,
But according to Rosen, more help is needed.
Portland was one of the first police departments in
“Some teams have 40 or 50 members, while ours has
the nation to form partnerships with its culturally
under 10," he said. “Anybody should join who feels
diverse communities.
they want to do something for our community, who
“Team members are trained to support victims of has some life experience dealing with death, trauma
traumatic events and their families and loved ones
and other serious events. Someone who has profes
following a crisis,” she said. They provide immediate
sionalism and doesn’t bring any baggage with them
on-site support and assist with coordination of is ideal,” Rosen said. “You can’t have community
additional support and services as needed. They act
policing without community involvement and
as a liaison between the police, the community at- commitment. We need to keep up «Immunity
awareness and its relationship with the force.” ©
large and family. They notify family, friends, school,
work and anyone else who might be affected by the
situation. They accompany an injured person to the
emergency room and assist with follow-up referrals
to appropriate agencies, including victim assistance
programs.
For more information about the SEXUAL
M inorities C risis R esponse T eam contact
Officer Marci Jackson at 503'823-2095 or
mjackst m@fx rrtlandfx >lice .org.