Mental Health Expert To Patrol With Portland Police 

By Kristian Foden-Vencil | April 12, 2010 4 a.m. | Updated: June 16, 2010 11:56 p.m. | Portland, OR

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Police in Portland begin a two-month test Monday.  A mental health expert will be traveling around with an officer on patrol.  The idea comes after several high-profile cases in which mentally ill people, or people going through a crisis, have been shot and killed by Portland Police. One officer will ride with a mental health worker from 'Project Respond.' Their assignment is to talk to, and monitor the homeless and mentally ill people, who live on Portland's streets. The two of them will also be available to help other officers if called. Chief Rosie Sizer calls it an experiment. "That strategy has been tried in other cities and we are interested to see if it is successful here," she said.The city is setting aside about $20,000 for the test and if it's successful, there's talk of another $120,000 in next year's budget. It's a controversial project. Some mental health advocates say it doesn't go far enough. And the police union has questioned its effectiveness.

© 2010 OPB

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