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Council backs Portland Street Response as coequal first‑responder branch and creates community advisory committee
Summary
Portland City Council on June 25 adopted a resolution endorsing Portland Street Response (PSR) as an unarmed crisis‑response program dispatched via 911, directing steps toward a coequal role within the first‑responder system and creating a time‑limited advisory committee to guide program expansion.
Portland City Council voted June 25 to adopt a resolution declaring support for Portland Street Response (PSR) as an unarmed crisis‑response program dispatched through 911 and to take steps toward recognizing PSR as a coequal branch of the city’s first‑responder system. The resolution, amended on the floor to clarify that PSR should be operationally independent while remaining integrated with other responders, passed 10–2.
The resolution reaffirms council support for PSR’s core mission, calls for adequate staffing and supplies (naloxone, blankets, water, food, clothing) and urges the mayor to direct city bureaus to examine benefits and staffing classifications for PSR employees. It also requests a national search for a permanent PSR program manager with community representation in the hiring process and directs the mayor to work with the Office of Civic and Community Life on a selection process for a Portland Street Response Committee, scheduled to sunset Dec. 31, 2025 unless extended.
Sponsors said the resolution is an effort to stabilize and expand a community‑initiated program that has served as a national example of unarmed crisis response. Councilor Kunal, a sponsor, said the measure "publicly express[es] council support for Portland Street Response" and asked that the city recommit to the program’s future. Co‑sponsors and staff said the resolution does not immediately change bargaining units, retirement status or other labor classifications; instead it directs city bureaus to study those issues and report back.
Testimony included broad public support and calls for quick expansion. Several speakers urged 24/7 service and criticized gaps in nighttime coverage; Jeremy Smith said he had considered calling 911 for a neighbor in crisis but did not because "it was now 10:07PM. Portland Street Response does not respond after 10PM." Labor representatives and PSR staff asked for clarity and stability so the program could recruit and retain workers. Portland Public Sector union representatives and PSR staff also urged adequate training, leadership and benefits.
City staff told council the resolution is designed to preserve PSR’s independence from police while promoting coordination with dispatch, fire and other services; the adopted amendments stress integration and co‑response options where appropriate. The resolution directs the mayor to direct the deputy city administrator for public safety to work with council on code amendments that could designate PSR as a coequal branch in Portland’s emergency response structure; it also asks BHR to explore first‑responder designation and associated benefits, with a report back to council by August (later adjusted in committee timelines to October).
The measure establishes a Portland Street Response Committee to advise the city and requires community representation on selection panels. Supporters said the advisory committee was long promised and would bring community voices into decision‑making about PSR’s future.
Ending: Council’s passage of the amended resolution commits Portland to further study, staffing and community engagement around PSR and to a pathway for elevating the program’s status within the city’s emergency response system, subject to future code and labor analyses.
