The City of Roses recently approved an $8.6 million budget with calls for an increase in funding for Portland Street Response, which sends qualified social workers to assist people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises after a 911 call.
Lieutenant Randy Sutton (Ret.) of The Wounded Blue says most of the responses are to problems among Portland's homeless population.
"This is an effort to have a civilian type of environment instead of law enforcement handle those calls," he summarizes. "That's not a bad idea."
He says a significant portion of the homeless population struggles with mental health conditions and substance use disorders; most are not simply down on their luck.
"This is not something that law enforcement really wants to be involved in," Sutton relays. "It's a terrible nuisance for them. The police officers in Portland probably enjoy having this taken off their plate."
He notes that the Washington city has decimated its police force through defunding and mismanagement. In fact, the City Council took out a proposed increase in police funding in this new budget.
"They're down to probably close to 35% when it comes to manpower, so, Portland Police Bureau needs all the help they can get," Sutton concludes.
