County reports early gains in deflection program engagement but warns data are preliminary

Anthony Jordan and Natalie Amar told the board that the county has implemented the key components of the board's February resolution on the House Bill 4002 deflection program, including a change from a 30‑day to a 90‑day engagement window and new successful‑completion criteria requiring at least five follow‑up visits or meaningful engagement in a substance‑use‑disorder service.

"The data you're seeing really is preliminary. It's a very small dataset, and that data will need time to mature," Amar said in the briefing. She presented an early snapshot for Q3 FY26 showing higher engagement and completion rates compared with the same period last year (21 engaged, 2 who did not). Amar cautioned that official deflection metrics the county reports to the Criminal Justice Commission remain tied to the law‑enforcement intervention pathway; pilot efforts with outreach partners and Portland Street Response are underway but will be reported separately. Commissioners asked for disaggregated referral-source data and fuller reporting of pilot numbers; staff agreed to provide those labeled separately from the official law-enforcement figures.