Street roots., September 28, 2012, Page 12, Image 12

Street roots
Sept. 28, 2012
Bureau continues making changes that positively impact community
BY MICHAEL REESE
difficult situation that we are going to work
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
to change. We are now moving forward on a
ecently, Portland police officers
collaborative and definitive agreement
responded to a call regarding a
between the DOJ and the city of Portland on
distraught man who told onlookers
how to make changes that fit our city in
near the RiverPlace Marina he was going regard
to
to mental health, use of force and
commit suicide. He took some pills and
community outreach.
jumped into the Willamette River from the
The good news is we already began
dock. The man then swam away from a
making changes that are having positive
Good Samaritan and began to drown. He
impacts. Last year, the police bureau did not
was eventually pulled from the water semi­
use force 99.71 percent of the time of the
conscious by a sheriff’s office boat and
400,000 contacts a year. In fact, over the
transported to a local hospital. Sadly, this
* last four years, force is down 35 percent.
same man was previously assisted by
This is a result of some significant changes
Portland police officers not even a month
involving policy and training. In addition, we
ago, when he overdosed on pills and was
created an inspector position responsible
threatening suicide by jumping off of a
for reviewing all force incidents looking for
downtown parking structure. This is just
trends or patterns that may be problematic.
one example of people in mental health
We also began requiring supervisors to go
crisis who officers come in contact with not
to every scene in which force is used,
just once, but multiple times. In fact, we
interview witnesses and conduct an
estimate that out of the 400,000 contacts,
investigation right on the spot.
20 to 25 percent involve people in some
In the coming weeks the community will
form of mental health crisis.
see more changes that I am pleased about.
As a law enforcement agency, over the
We are changing the Taser policy to be in
line with what we’ve been training officers
last decade, police have had a dynamic shift
from responding to criminal issues to
to do. These changes are based on recent
court rulings and changes to national police
responding to people affected by
homelessness, addiction and mental health
standards.
issues. Unfortunately, due to starved
We are also making changes in the area of
budgets across the state, our system has
crisis intervention, and we have work to do
in regard to community outreach. We have
given officers less options to help these
improved our hiring efforts to better reflect
vulnerable people, especially if they are
the community we serve. Since January
experiencing a mental health crisis. These
2011, 40 percent of new police officers hired
situations are complex, unfold quickly and
by the Portland Police Bureau are women
have no guaranteed outcomes. Often,
and ethnic minorities. Our Personnel
arriving officers have no idea whether the
Division has done an outstanding job of
person is suffering from a medical problem,
recruiting and hiring these highly qualified
mental health problem and/or concurrent
and sought-after applicants to the police
drug and alcohol issues — all of which
bureau.
require different approaches.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sam Adams is working
Two weeks ago the Department of Justice
with other community leaders, including
Civil Rights Division presented their legal
Commissioner Amanda Fritz and
conclusions regarding the Portland Police
Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen, to
Bureau’s use of force in regard to
ensure that our community and crisis
individuals in mental health crisis. Without
mental health system is bolstered to provide
excuses or finger pointing, we collectively
the right resources at the right time to
acknowledge that we find ourselves in a
R
M ichael Reese is the
C h ie f o f Police fo r the
Portland Police
B ureau.
«£•-
people who need them. He is working to
establish a crisis triage center where police
officers can take individuals in crisis as an
alternative option to an emergency room or
jail so that they can be evaluated, treated
and connected to case workers and longer
term treatment. Mayor Adams recognizes
the fact that Portland police play a
significant role in the provision of mental
health services in this community and is
working to position our officers with options
to help Portlanders in crisis with access to
adequate treatment.
W lflio a l excuses or fin g e r p o in tin g r we
collectively acknowledge that we fin d
ourselves In a d iffic u lt situation that we are
going to w ork to change«
Finally, we will be doing a lot of listening
in regard to how we can build the
relationships that are so very important. I
hope to meet with community members,
agency partners, mental health advocates,
and others in the coming days and weeks to
capture the collective community insight
that Portlanders can provide.
These are just a few of the changes we
are making as we dive into this process.
Additional ideas, such as the expansion of
the Division Street Walk-In clinic operated
by Cascadia or enhanced intensive case
management teams, are broader concepts
that require community stakeholders
beyond the police bureau.
I believe Portland police officers go out
every day and do an incredible job in
complex and difficult circumstances. Now is
the time to seize these opportunities and
provide officers with additional resources so
they can assist more people. I look forward
to making these changes to better meet the
community’s expectations.
Poverty
Proven leadership
Spending tax dollars wisely
WWW
O ver 6 m illio n people w orldw ide vote for dignity over poverty
w hen they bu y street press. B y doing so. they help vendors
in 40 countries, sellin g over to o different titles, to change
th eir lives. In return, readers enjoy quality, independent
jo u rn alism , in the know ledge that they ’ve m ade a difference.
Vote for Dignity.
International
Network at
Street
Papers
com