Portland Mayor Tom Potter will ask the City Council for $250,000 in one-time funds from this year’s budget surplus to immediately start Crisis Intervention Training for all Portland police patrol officers.
Although the council will not vote on one-time requests until Nov. 28, Potter hopes the training can begin immediately.
The request is in response to the in-custody death of James Chasse Jr. on Sept. 17. Chasse parents said their son was mentally ill.
After Chasse’s death, Potter appointed a Mental Health/Public Safety Task Force to study how the mentally ill are cared for in Portland and their interactions with the police. Its first meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. today in the Rose Room at Portland City Hall.