I. Introduction Local police agencies currently receive over 200 calls each month concerning mentally ill or suicidal citizens. Police also receive radio calls for disturbances and subsequently discover that the actual problem is mental illness.
Officers often spend hours in search of an empty bed for a police mental hold.
In addition, local police increasingly confront situations involving mentally ill citizens that result in police shootings. These incidents and problems will continue because of funding restrictions and downsizing of the state mental health system. Its recommendations are set forth below. The Portland Police Bureau has initiated the implementation of a training model successfully used by the Memphis Police Department for handling calls involving mental disturbance. The Police Bureau anticipates the development of the training curriculum this spring, the training of 60 officers during the summer, and implementation at the street level in the fall.