Police Citizen Review Subcommittee

City of Portland Police Citizen Review Subcommittee AGENDA October 8, 2025 6:00 PM This meeting will take place in person at City Hall (389 Congress Street) in room 24 at 6:00 p.m. To submit written public comment on an agenda item, email pcrs@portlandmaine.gov. Submissions must be received by 12:00 pm the day before the 1. Police Citizen Review Subcommittee meeting to guarantee their inclusion in the agenda packet. All submissions must include the commenter's name and legal address. To help ensure your comment is submitted for the correct item, please include the name of the agenda item (see below). 2. Call to Order 3. Approval of the September 10, 2025 meeting minutes a. Attachment 4. Update on the new Civilian Police Review Board ordinance 5. Update of the citizen complaint/commendation process (Joey & Walter) a. Attachment 6. Discussion of revised draft of meeting procedures (Randall) a. Attachment Discussion of draft procedures for IA case presentation and voting process (Randall and 7. Rachel S.) a. Attachment 8. Report back re: data sharing needs, concerns and recommendations (Rachel S./Joey) 9. Discussion of recommendations from Randall 10. Overview of Portland Police Department Behavioral Health Unit for PCRS Training Page 1  a. Attachment 11. Public comment on agenda items 12. Next meeting’s date and agenda topics 13. Adjourn Page 2  MINUTES POLICE CITIZEN REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE September 10, 2025 Meeting Held Remotely via Zoom Members present: Joey Brunelle (*left meeting 6:37 & returned at 6:46), Vice-Chair; Keith Bidwell; Rachel Schlein; Xavier Botana; and Randall Kilty Members absent: Kaylin Kerina, Chair; and Walter Bihumugani Staff present: Associate Corporation Counsel Rachel Millette; Major Jason King; Lieutenant Jacob Titcomb; and Tracy Boyd 6:02 Call to order. Motion was made by Keith and seconded by Randall to approve August 13, 2025 meeting minutes. Passage 3-0, Xavier and Keith abstaining. Update on the new Civilian Police Review Board ordinance: Rachel anticipates that the new CPRB ordinance will be on the HHS &PS Committee agenda, the meeting will be held on 10/14 and will likely remain at the committee level for at least two meetings. The meeting will be held virtually and typically is not open to public comment though the committee could opt to allow public comment. Discussion of the citizen complaint process: Joey and Walter met to brainstorm how to educate the public about the citizen complaint process. Joey shared a document with their ideas, which included: adding language to summons forms about the commendation/complaint process; doing outreach to DV shelters, homeless shelters, immigrant organizations, etc.; making translated paper forms available in public buildings; posting info on social media; and possibly speaking with the District Attorney. Rachel M. stated that she will research whether these are things the PCRS can do directly or whether these should be framed as recommendations to the City. Discussion of revised draft of meeting procedures: Randall revised the document and requested that the discussion be postponed until the documents can be disseminated to the committee members and the public. Present draft procedures for IA case presentation and voting process: Randall finished the draft procedures and requested that the discussion be postponed until the next meeting. Joey talked about case assignments and the need to Page 3  discuss how they are assigned.* Randall suggested assignments via the chair and a list that the chair follows allowing for flexibility. Rachel S. suggested creating the list with the newest members on the bottom to give them time to assimilate and experience other subcommittee members’ case review processes. Check in on complaint data sharing: Rachel M. explained that the current software the PD uses doesn't allow sharing. At this point, PD will be continuing to share the case data via Google drive with an access expiration date to minimize any unauthorized access concerns. The other option is to have an in person paper review at the Corporation Counsel office. Randall suggested that a subcommittee member take notes, void of identifying information, to use when preparing the Annual report. Rachel S. would like confidentiality guidelines around how to handle the data and asked about the possibility of each member having a city email address. Joey will reach out to other police review boards to see how they are receiving data. Joey and Rachel S. will draft a list of the subcommittee’s concerns around data sharing to forward to the City Manager’s office, the Police Department, and/or Corporation Counsel’s office. Check in on in-person meeting: The meeting is scheduled on October 8 at 6:00 p.m. (The meeting has been moved from room 209 to room 24.) Check in on training requirements: Rachel S. reminded subcommittee members that the Criminal Procedures and IA Process training will take place on September 16, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the PPD. The training SOP was finalized and has been posted on the PCRS web page. Every member has six months to complete the required training, Rachel will check in with members as to their progress completing training. Rachel S. will also check in with the Behavioral Health Unit training coordinator to see if there is a possibility of a group training. No public comment was offered. 7:20 Motion was made to enter into Executive Session pursuant to 1 M.R.S. Sec. 405(6)(F) to discuss IA2025-008 and IA2025-011 by Xavier and seconded by Keith Passage 5-0. 8:40 Out of Executive Session. Motion was made by Randall to find that IA2025-008 was fair; seconded by Xavier. Fails: 5-0, IA2025-008 was not found to be fair. Motion was made by Keith to find that IA2025-008 was objective; seconded by Xavier. Fails: 4-1, Keith voting yes, IA2025-008 was not found to be objective. Page 4  Motion was made by Xavier to find that IA2025-008 was thorough; seconded by Randall. Passage: 5-0. IA2025-008 was found to be thorough. Motion was made by Keith to find that IA2025-008 was timely; seconded by Xavier. Passage: 5-0. IA2025-008 was found to be timely. Motion was made by Xavier to find that IA2025-011 was fair; seconded by Randall. Passage: 5-0. IA2025-011 was found to be fair. Motion was made by Randall to find that IA2025-011 was objective; seconded by Keith. Passage: 5-0. IA2025-011 was found to be objective. Motion was made by Keith to find that IA2025-011 was thorough; seconded by Randall. Passage: 5-0, IA2025-011 was found to be thorough. Motion was made by Keith to find that IA2025-011 was timely; seconded by Xavier. Passage 5-0. IA2025-011 was found to be timely. Next meeting’s date and agenda topics: ● Update on the new ordinance ● Update about complaint/commendation process (Joey & Walter) o Report back from Rachel M regarding the purview of the board re: promotion PCRS and the process (flyers? direct outreach? etc.) ● Discussion of draft meeting procedures - possible vote to adopt, or request revisions (Randall/Keith) ● Discussion of draft procedures for IA case presentation and voting process - possible vote to adopt, or request revisions (Randall/Rachel S.) ● Report back from Rachel S,'s request to Corp Counsel/City Manager/Chief re: data sharing needs, concerns and recommendations (Rachel S./Joey) ● Discussion of recommendations from Randall - possible vote to adopt, or request revisions 9:01 Motion was made by Rachel S. and seconded by Xavier to adjourn. Passage 5-0. Page 5 Complaint Form Access Walter & Joey Aug 28 2025 1. Rachel M will investigate whether we can/should be doing this outreach ourselves as the PCRS, or whether we need to recommend that PD and/or the City do it 2. Question for Chief? Can we put information about complaint/commendation process on the summons form itself? Or on the paperwork that’s given to folks? (Bail condition paperwork has date of hearing and bail violation conditions) a. They already put “how to contest” on the form, so why not put the complaint link on there too 3. What do other cities do? Manchester, Providence, Cambridge a. Cambridge i. Outreach to places like DV shelters, crisis centers, lower-income neighborhoods and homeless shelters where there are folks are who are more likely to have police interactions * ii. Working with the city’s public health/social services outreach team to educate them in the process iii. Translated paper forms available at most city buildings and distributed to facilities like crisis centers and DV shelters. b. Rachel could draw up a list of potential locations to do outreach to c. Joey could design a one-page flyer 4. Paper forms ** a. Can we go back to having paper forms available in city facilities, community policing offices and community centers (Reiche, Library, Riverton, etc) 5. Social media ** Page 6  6. Media-focused event (Xavier) 7. LTEs (Xavier) 8. Immigrant orgs/Mosques * http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/Board/1043-Police-Review-- Advisory-Board https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/policereviewandadvisoryb oard Page 7  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS Meeting Procedure == 1.0 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this procedure is to outline the process for holding and participating in PCRS meetings. 2.0 SCOPE This document applies to all PCRS meetings both executive and public. 3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES Role Description of Responsibilities Chair • Leads meeting discussions • Assigns or delegates tasks as appropriate • Provides gentle reminders to keep discussions on-topic Vice-Chair • Fills in for Chair’s responsibilities when Chair is absent Timekeeper • Provides gentle reminders to keep meetings on-time • Attend meetings and participate in discussions Voting Members • Solicit or vote on motions as applicable Non-voting • Attend meetings and participate in discussions members SOP Template Page 1 of 5 Page 8  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS Meeting Procedure == 4.0 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Term Definition All members of the PCRS (voting and non-voting) and all members Meeting Attendees of supporting city staff (including police department) who are attending the current PCRS meeting Any attendees that are not members of PCRS, city staff, or Guest Attendees Police Department Public meeting instance where Meeting Attendees and Guest Public Session Attendees both attend Private meeting instance where no Guest Attendees do not Executive Session attend due to discussion of private or sensitive information PD Portland, ME Police Department IA Internal Affairs (of the Portland, ME Police Department) PCRS Police Citizen Review Subcommittee 5.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS • One properly calibrated clock/watch/timer 6.0 PROCEDURE 6.1 General Etiquette 6.1.1 All Meeting Attendees and Guest Attendees will adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order to the best of their abilities (see Section 7: Resources for link). 6.2 Meeting Preparation 6.2.1 City Staff should send out the meeting agenda and relevant meeting attachments at least one week in advance of the scheduled PCRS meeting 6.2.2 Meeting Attendees should review all agenda items and attachments prior to attending the PCRS meeting 6.2.3 PCRS members who are assigned to an IA investigation case should prepare to present and discuss said IA investigation prior to attending the PCRS meeting 6.3 Public Meetings SOP Template Page 2 of 5 Page 9  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS Meeting Procedure == 6.3.1 If a quorum is present (4 voting members), the Chair will start the meeting (ideally no later than 5 minutes past the scheduled start time of the meeting) 6.3.2 The Chair will confirm who is delegated as Timekeeper for the meeting and their willingness to keep the meeting on time 6.3.3 The Chair will confirm the Vice Chair is present and is willing to keep the discussions on-topic 6.3.3.1 If the Vice Chair is absent, the Chair will delegate someone to temporarily assume their responsibilities for the meeting 6.3.4 The Chair will read off the meeting agenda and propose an appropriate priority and/or amount of discussion time for each topic along with a target meeting end time 6.3.4.1 If there are major additions to or disagreements with the agenda, Meeting Attendees should discuss and reach a consensus before proceeding 6.3.4.2 Agenda topics may be moved to an ad-hoc meeting or moved to another scheduled meeting as appropriate 6.3.5 The Chair will lead the meeting discussions using the agreed upon agenda topics 6.3.5.1 If there are agenda topics that involve discussion of sensitive and/or private information (e.g. an IA investigation), the Chair will solicit a motion to move the Meeting Attendees to an executive session 6.3.6 If there were any IA investigations reviewed, the Chair will solicit a motion to vote on the timeliness, thoroughness, fairness, and objectivity for each of the IA investigations reviewed 6.3.7 If there are any new IA investigations that have not been assigned to a PCRS member, the Chair will solicit volunteers to present said IA investigations 6.3.7.1 If no PCRS member volunteers to present a given IA investigation, the Chair may assign one 6.3.7.2 Another PCRS member can also volunteer or be assigned to present said IA investigation as a back-up or alternate SOP Template Page 3 of 5 Page 10  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS Meeting Procedure == 6.3.8 The Chair will offer time and opportunity for public comments to give guest attendees a chance to speak 6.3.8.1 In general, guest attendees should target 2-5 minutes of discussion time to not significantly delay meeting closure 6.3.9 After all agenda topics have been discussed or the meeting end time has been reached, PCRs members will summarize the discussions and next steps 6.3.9.1 If there are any tasks or actions without volunteers, the Chair may assign the tasks or actions to a PCRS member 6.3.10 Meeting Attendees will agree on agenda topics and time/location for the next PCRS meeting 6.3.10.1 Ad-hoc meetings can be also scheduled as warranted 6.3.11 The Chair will solicit a motion to adjourn the meeting and if approved the meeting ends 6.4 Executive Meetings 6.4.1 All agenda topics that contain private/sensitive materials will be discussed in this session 6.4.2 The Chair may solicit a motion to move the Meeting Attendees back to the public meeting session after all sensitive and/or private topics have been discussed 7.0 REFERENCES Website Title Link Robert’s Rules of https://robertsrules.org/index.html Order 8.0 ATTACHMENTS N/A 9.0 APPROVALS SOP Template Page 4 of 5 Page 11  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS Meeting Procedure == Contributor Function/ Department Signature Date (Authored/Approved by) Author [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] Reviewer [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] Approver [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] 10.0 REVISION HISTORY DCO Revision Description of Change Date Number A 00001 New Document ???? SOP Template Page 5 of 5 Page 12  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == 1.0 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this procedure is to provide a process for presenting IA investigations and voting on their dispositions. 2.0 SCOPE This document applies to PCRS IA investigation presentation and voting on the dispositions of IA investigations. 3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES Role Description of Responsibilities Chair • Assigns or delegates IA cases to PCRS members as appropriate Vice-Chair • Fills in for Chair’s responsibilities when Chair is absent • Participate in discussions and vote in IA dispositions Voting Members • Present IA case investigations when volunteered or assigned Non-voting • Participate in discussions members • Present IA case investigations when volunteered or assigned 4.0 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Term Definition All members of the PCRS (voting and non-voting) and all members Meeting Attendees of supporting city staff (including police department) who are attending the current PCRS meeting Any attendees that are not members of PCRS, city staff, or Guest Attendees Police Department Public meeting instance where Meeting Attendees and Guest Public Session Attendees both attend Private meeting instance where no Guest Attendees do not Executive Session attend due to discussion of private or sensitive information PD Portland, ME Police Department IA Internal Affairs (of the Portland, ME Police Department) PCRS Police Citizen Review Subcommittee SOP Template Page 1 of 9 Page 13  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == 5.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS • N/A 6.0 PROCEDURE 6.1 General Etiquette 6.1.1 All Meeting Attendees and Guest Attendees will use and adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order to the best of their ability (see Section 7: Resources for link). 6.2 Assigning and Preparing for IA Investigation Presentations 6.2.1 If an IA investigation is sent to PCRS for review in between PCRS meetings, the Chair will assign a PCRS member to be responsible for presenting the IA investigation at the next meeting. 6.2.1.1 The Chair can use a list of PCRS members to rotate through PCRS members to be assigned. 6.2.1.2 The list of PCRS members should have newer members at the bottom of the list. 6.2.1.3 It is recommended that new members not present an IA investigation until they have experienced at least one IA investigation presentation from another PCRS member 6.2.2 If a new IA investigation is sent to PCRS within 5 days prior to a PCRS meeting, PCRS members will either volunteer or be assigned to present an IA investigation by the Chair at the next PCRS meeting. 6.2.2.1 When possible, a PCRS member will volunteer or be assigned to act as a backup presenter for the IA investigation. 6.2.3 When a PCRS member is assigned to present an IA investigation, they will prepare a presentation with the following information before the next scheduled PCRS meeting: SOP Template Page 2 of 9 Page 14  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == • IA Investigation Summary: • Timeline: date of incident, date of complaint, date of categorization, date disposition was completed, date sent to command for review, and date disposition notification was sent to complainant and applicable officer/staff • Summary of incident (body cam footage, cruiser footage, audio recordings, etc.): • Summary of complaint (interview footage, body cam footage, phone recordings, etc.): • Summary of supporting documents (Incident reports, Intake statements, relevant PD standard operating procedures, etc.) • Summary of IA disposition (from disposition sheet): • Questions for PD (any clarifying questions about the investigation or incident): • PD and/or IA Investigation Recommendations (any improvements to IA process that could be made to yield better results in the future): • Considerations for Complainant satisfaction (any actions that PCRS or PD can take to improve public relations): 6.3 Presenting IA investigations 6.3.1 While still in the Public Session, the Chair will set the agenda for which IA investigations will be presented and discussed in an Executive Session. 6.3.2 After Meeting Attendees have entered the Executive Session, the Chair will guide the meeting through the agenda of IA investigation presentations and resulting discussions. 6.3.3 PCRS members will present the IA investigation summary information that they prepared in advance (see section 6.2.3). 6.3.4 If there are questions or recommendations for the PD that contain private or sensitive information, these should be discussed while PD is present. 6.3.5 PCRS members should discuss their thoughts on the Timeliness, Thoroughness, Fairness, and Objectivity of the IA investigation. 6.3.6 After all IA investigations on the agenda have been presented and discussed to satisfaction, the Chair can move the meeting back to Public Session. SOP Template Page 3 of 9 Page 15  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == 6.4 Voting on IA Investigations 6.4.1 Once Meeting Attendees are back in Public Session, the Chair will solicit voting on the Timeliness, Thoroughness, Fairness, and Objectivity of IA investigations that were presented. 6.4.1.1 If there are any IA investigations that were not presented or discussed to a satisfactory state, voting on these IA investigations can be postponed as warranted. 6.4.2 Voting members of PCRS will vote on the Timeliness, Thoroughness, Fairness, and Objectivity of the IA investigation and may use Attachment 1 for additional guidance. 6.4.3 If there are any PCRS members that vote ‘no’ to the Timeliness, Thoroughness, Fairness, and Objectivity of an IA investigation, it is recommended that they give rationale for why they are voting that way. NOTE: If the rationale(s) for voting and/or recommendation(s) to PD include sensitive and/or private information, these should be discussed in an executive session and not in a public session 6.4.4 If there are any recommendations for the PD that do not contain private or sensitive information, these should also be presented in the Public Session. 6.4.4.1 For any official recommendations to PD, PCRS should draft a written recommendation that can then be voted on by the PCRS. 7.0 REFERENCES Website Title Link Robert’s Rules of https://robertsrules.org/index.html Order 8.0 ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1: Additional guidance for voting on Timely, Thorough, Fair, and Objective SOP Template Page 4 of 9 Page 16  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == 9.0 APPROVALS Contributor Function/ Department Signature Date (Authored/Approved by) Author [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] Reviewer [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] Approver [Insert Designation] [Insert Resource Name] 10.0 REVISION HISTORY DCO Revision Description of Change Date Number A 00001 New Document ???? SOP Template Page 5 of 9 Page 17  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == Attachment 1: Guidance for voting on Timely, Thorough, Fair, and Objective (Page 1 of 3) • Timely per policy # 90: • Supervisor must meet with complaint within 30min of arrival at department (if resources allow) • Shift commander shall contact complainant within 24 hours or forward to Major for follow-up • investigation by lieutenant completed within 3 days or referred to IA, • investigations completed with professional standard review within 45 days, • notification to PD employee of investigation/rights/duties within 5 business days, unless, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, the release of this information could impede the investigation. • command review within 10 days (of receipt of investigation?), • PD employee advised of outcome of investigation within 60 business days, • professional standards lieutenant to notify PD employee status/delay within 15 days of completion of investigation and submission to staff for review, • determination whether a complaint can be mediated or if it will require an investigation is required within 7 days (cooperative resolution) • Thorough per policy # 90: • Shift commander meet and interview all complainants unless no merit, then proceed as inquiry instead of a complaint • Review option of formal complaint or cooperative resolution (and forwarded appropriate form) • Shift commander classification: o Cat 1: conduct has negative impact on operations or image (investigated by officer lieutenant OR IA) SOP Template Page 6 of 9 Page 18  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == o Cat 2: conduct involves serious abuse or misuse of authority, unethical behavior, or serious adverse impact on officer/public safety (investigated by IA) o Cat U: unfounded or within PD policy • After complaint is logged, Professional standards lieutenant will: a. Verify the Allegation Category assigned by the receiving shift commander; b. Review the subject officer’s IA history; c. Notify the chain of command, to include the Chief of Police; d. Notify, in writing, within five (5) business days, any employee who is the subject of an internal investigation and provide them with a copy of their rights and duties. The notice will include the name of the complainant and the nature of the allegations unless, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, the release of this information could impede the investigation. e. Notify the complainant, in writing, of the receipt of any complaint filed electronically or by mail. f. Refer the complaint to the subject officer’s Lieutenant or an Internal Affairs investigator in accordance with the guidelines below. • 5. Allegations deemed Category U by the receiving shift commander will be handled as follows. The Professional Standards Lieutenant will: a. Review the complaint Form and Shift Commander’s intake form and concur with the classification or recommend reclassification. b. Forward the complaint and intake forms up the chain of command to the Chief of Police or designee for review. c. If the chief or designee concurs that the complaint meets the definition of a Category U allegation, notify the complainant and subject officer. d. If the chain of command determines the complaint has merit, reclassify the allegations and process the complaint in accordance with the new category. • 1. Investigations by a Lieutenant SOP Template Page 7 of 9 Page 19  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == a. At a minimum, a Lieutenant assigned to investigate a Category 1 Allegation should interview the complainant and the subject officer and review relevant reports, documents, and video. b. If a Lieutenant determines the incident is of greater complexity, or the investigation cannot be completed within 3 business days, he/she can refer the investigation back to Internal Affairs with the concurrence of the Major or higher authority. c. Upon completion of the investigation, the Lieutenant will summarize their findings and recommendations, in writing, and forward up the chain of command for review. • 2. Investigations by Internal Affairs Investigators a. Review the initial complaint and compile all related reports and materials in the department’s custody. b. Ascertain the specific allegations, note the member(s) involved and the date, time, and location of the incident. Identify any other witnesses to the incident, noting their name(s), address(es) and contact information. c. Compile all relevant reports, statements, and transcriptions for inclusion in the case file. d. Forward the transcription (if any) of each interview to the Professional Standards Lieutenant for review upon its completion. e. Maintain and update the Internal Affairs database for each assigned case. • Command will review investigation and reach reviewer will provide written recommendation and justification for action • Chief of PD will review all internal investigations and may request additional info • IA will maintain/index all complaints • IA will track and analyze complaints to identify training, improve policies, annual state audits, annual reports, notify chief of patterns • Fair: • Does the IA disposition match the facts of the investigation? • Did everyone who took part in investigation have a proportional input? • Objective: SOP Template Page 8 of 9 Page 20  Doc #: SOP-XXXX Standard Operating Procedure Rev #: ### Effective Date: dd-MMM-yyyy Title: PCRS IA Investigation Presentation == • Is there evidence of bias during investigation? • Bias definition: SOP Template Page 9 of 9 Page 21 Overview of Portland Police Department Behavioral Health Unit Portland PD has been at the forefront of mental health co-response, and has had some type of program in place for nearly 25 years. PPD is one of 15 Mental Health Learning sites nationwide, and we were one of the original 6 in 2010. This link provides a lot of great detail: https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1205/Special-Services Current Makeup: BHU is run by Coordinator Bridgit Sliwak. There is one substance use disorder liaison, and then four alternative response liaisons. The unit does a model that we are very proud of, and it is a mix of co-response and alternative response. They have their own vehicles that are marked “Behavioral Health Unit” and will respond with officers, after officers are on scene, or in lieu of sending any officers. BHU hosts site visits from agencies around the country looking to stand up their own units. In the lead up to the current set up, Major King, Liaison Bill Burns, a Lieutenant and a the BHU coordinator at the time went to Denver to do a site visit for their Star Program. The Star program was modeled after the Eugene, Oregon CAHOOTS model. We took the best parts of those programs and expanded the unit to add alternative response liaisons. We have collaborative working relationships with various agencies throughout the city including MaineHealth, Spurwink, TOA, etc. We feel firmly that the Police Department is the best place for BHU to fall under. Other programs that we talked to that were pulled away from the Police Departments and put with public health agencies did not flourish. There is a huge amount of buy-in from officers, and we are all on the same team on the street. Page 22