Portland Explores Efficacy of Psychology Expert on Police Patrols
April 12th, 2010
In the wake of a number of incidents in which people with psychological concerns were shot by police officers, the city of Portland in Oregon has recently decided to include mental health experts on some patrols. The professionals will accompany officers as they make rounds with the homeless and those exhibiting psychological issues, and will also be on call when requested by officers confronted with issues they may not understand. The city anticipates expanding the program in the coming year should the initial trial prove successful, and has as its inspiration similar programs that have been explored in cities across America.
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Comments
this is a great thing to have been done because normal cops do not quite know what is going on with such people and treat them just like others…professional help in this regard is just great.
Is this really ok to put this untrained person on the police force when officers could simply make referrals and resources available to the people on their patrol?
I do not think this would be too useful…if someone is creating a problem in a neighbourhood,the cops HAVE TO take the person away,whether the person has a psychological problem or not…that needs to be ascertained only later.
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