2 people were sent to deflection services, according to PPB.
By Karli Olson and FOX 12 Staff
Published: Sep. 2, 2024 at 1:33 PM PDT|Updated: Sep. 2, 2024 at 5:30 PM PDT
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - On Sunday, PPB’s bike squad made several arrests for possession of drugs in downtown Portland, according to a statement from Portland Police.
It was the first day that possession of small amounts of drugs became illegal in Oregon, again. The law applies to drugs like fentanyl, heroin, and meth.
Bike squad officers reportedly stopped several people, and four of those people were arrested. Additionally, one was ticketed and two people accepted deflection services.
On Sunday and Monday, the nonprofit 4D Recovery has been on the streets to help start the deflection process for those who want it.
On Monday afternoon, team members said that four deflections had taken place so far.
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“We do whatever we can to plant the seed and give them an opportunity to change,” said team member Meaghan Buchanan. She and three other people, all of whom have experienced addiction themselves, have been responding to calls.
She said their personal histories inform how they handle cases and help build trust with those struggling with addiction.
“Once we get to talking with them and they understand we have lived experience, I think it makes them soften up a lot and it makes them a lot more able to talk to us and work with us,” Buchanan told FOX 12 on Monday.
She said the biggest hurdle so far has been the lack of spaces in detox facilities, which prevents them from getting people into help right away.
4D’s Executive Director Tony Vezina said this will soon be a thing of the past.
“Things are coming online, even if it’s hard to see it in the moment,” Vezina said. “The legislature made investments, over 100 million, into treatment services last session, it takes time to get those things up and running…right now it’s day one, did it all work? No, but it’s starting to work, and things are starting to change and people are going to get help. A couple years from now I believe we’ll be in a much better place.”
During the last legislative session, Oregon lawmakers passed HB 5204, which appropriated $200 million to various behavioral health and addiction services outlined in HB 4002.
The team knows the program is still in its early days, and they plan to work with the County and police over time to create the best path to success for those suffering from addiction.”When I talk to people who are out using who are out on the streets, they want to quit, they know they need to quit,” Vezina said. “It’s going to take a little time, and it is happening.”
“People that are in addiction, if they were to get clean they’d be very different people, and a lot of the time jail isn’t helping them,” Buchanan said. “What they need is help and treatment, and I get sometimes it takes more than once and all that, but I do know that they’re worth it.”
Members of the 4D Recovery team said they will keep tabs on the people going through the deflection process to see how things are going, but it is up to the individual people to follow through on the plan.
On Tuesday, Volunteers of America and Multnomah County’s ‘PATH’ (Promoting Access to Hope) team will join 4D to help with the deflection cases.
On Friday, PPB made it clear the criteria was strict for deflection programs and expected that most people caught in possession of drugs will go to jail.
- The person doesn’t require medical attention
- The person is not a danger to themselves or others
- The person doesn’t have any outstanding warrants or other charges
- The person is not on probation
- The person is able to respond to verbal instructions
- The person is 18-years or older
- The person voluntarily agrees to enter the deflection program
- The deflection team arrives to the scene within 30 minutes
If a person does not meet this criteria, police are supposed to take them to jail.
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The following people were arrested on Sunday and booked at the Multnomah Co. Jail:
- Jeffrey A. Adams, 52
- Jason Armstrong, 46
- Samuel S. Hass, 37
- Patrick J. Leever, 43
The following individual was issued a citation in lieu of arrest: Morgan D. Jennings, 42.
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