Oregon’s Portland Police Announce Behavioral Health Unit

Circle Connections: New Products & Services The Portland Police Bureau announced Thursday that it has a new Behavioral Health Unit. The group oversees how police respond to people having a mental health crisis. This unit is part of the Portland Police Bureau's response to a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ had found that the bureau had a pattern of using excessive force against people with mental illnesses. Along with social service partners, the bureau is trying to improve those responses. Captain Sara Westbrook was selected to command the new BHU. She says the collaborative, multi . . .