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Years ago when I was a Deputy Sheriff we had a great resource to help the mentally ill we came across on our tours:  Dammasch State Hospital.

How it worked:  we would come across the person presenting per radio call or just by rolling up on them in the street.  Assessment starts out of the car immediately:  is the person drunk/not able to navigate.  Response:  CHIERS summoned and the person is taken to detox.

If the person presented differently and was not "centered", posed a danger to himself or others?  Off to OHSU on a cilvil hold for a psych evaluation.  

If the afflicted person is deemed by an admiitin OHSU psychiatrist to be an AMIP (Allegedly Menatlly Ill Person or 12-34 in cop talk) we were off to Wilsonville and introduced the AMIP into Dammasch.

Many times the Dammasch staff knew who we we bringing in as we went through the door.

Reports were Special reports.  Not custody reports.  This was civil procedure.

Then Dammasch was closed.  Budget.  The Feds and the state were supposed to provide safe housing, treatment and other services in the communities.  Never happened.  Hence the streets are the dumping ground for these people.  Walk around downtown and see the fallout.

Possible answer.  Call CHIERS with a mental team.  Let them take the AMIP up to OHSU and go through the process through and to Cascadia.

The system is in failure.  The police are the providers of last resort.  Open 24/7/365.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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Oversight, however it's construed, is ad hoc and not done in a timely way.  Everyone involved from police officers to victims and their families don not trust the process.  Too long (3 years for the James Chasse Jr reports, over two years for the Justin Krohn matter and Kelly Krohn, his dad,  is a retired PPB detective, etc.)

The Bureau's civilian overseers (Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman) need to urge meaningful changes that will cut down on police malfeasance, needless shootings caused by rogue cops, such as Ronald Frashour, Kyle Nice, Leo Besner, Chris Humphreys and others.

How to do this:

I believe cops are under great stress akin to military combat.  Cops "wear out" and they get become uncentered, for want of a better term.  (how else to explain the high rate of marital discord and divorce, drinking, steroid use, changes in belief systems, ie: Born Againism, et al.)

I think that cops should be tested every five years for PTSD and everytime after there is a police-involved killing of a citizen, whether that person is a felon, innocent bystander or mentally disturbed person.)  

Alaska is a state that uses polygraphs in the vetting process for prospective police officers.  The city should lobby for a change in state law to get that tool.

I also believe that all officer-involved killings should be shunted away from the Grand Jury and put into a public inquest forum that is broadcast live on media outlets.  No more indicted (unindicted ham sandwiches.) Everyone in the community sees and gages the questions and the responses.  This alone will make cops think about leaving expiring citizens laying in the street until someone in authority allows medical help to reach these imagined "threats" to police.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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For Chief Rosie Sizer:

Three years to release the James Chasse Jr report?

The connecting thread concerning the Stevenson choking death (Off Barbour); the death of Gwerder (Off Besner- the million dollar man), James Chasse (Sgt Nice and Off Humphrey) and now Campbell Off Frashour):  the unconscionable delay or avoidance of getting on scene CPR, First Aid, Emergency Care to the dying individuals while officers sit around for critical periods of time/  Comment?

Sometimes the Police Chief and the Police Commissioner have to fire an Officer for doing wrong even though they not THEY WILL LOSE IN ARBITRATION.  Sometimes you have to seize the higher ethical gound to send a clear message to the community, the union and the offending cops.

Do you ever want to take on the union?

Comment:  Has the PPA ever lost a case in arbitration? What do you think about that?

When are you retiring?

St grippen

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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