Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 07/07/26
Council punted on all three public safety items today. Psychedelics decrim/commission plan got sent back for rewrites (return in August), gun licensing item pushed to July 21st, and ERPO program just got a training update — cops are now trained to file them, but a specialist role to review old crisis calls isn't funded yet. No decision made.
Summary
Three public safety policy items were before the committee, none of which resulted in a final vote. The furthest along was an update on the Extreme Risk Protection Order program: PPB Sergeant Josh Silverman reported that all patrol officers are now being trained to complete ERPOs, and he described plans to apply for a grant that would fund a specialist to retroactively review past crisis calls where an ERPO might have been appropriate and apply for them within days of the incident. Councilors expressed support and asked follow-up questions about demographic data on who receives ERPOs and how dispatch routing works between sworn officers and Project Respond for mental health calls.
A proposed ordinance to de-prioritize enforcement of natural psychedelics and create a Psychedelics Advisory Commission generated the longest discussion. Councilors broadly supported the de-prioritization piece but raised a series of concerns about the commission: who would staff it, what bureau would house it, whether its proposed duties (including some that touched on public health advice) fell within the city's jurisdiction rather than the county's, and whether the language had been fully reviewed by legal counsel. Advocates confirmed Multnomah County public health staff had been consulted and were supportive, and suggested the county public health director's office could nominate a commission member. The chair asked sponsors to return in August with a revised, narrowed amendment that addresses those concerns and has cleared legal review.
A third item — an ordinance related to firearms prohibition as an affirmative defense for concealed handgun licensees — was postponed without discussion to July 21st, as Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman had not yet had a chance to meet on potential improvements to the draft.
Key Points
- Sergeant Josh Silverman presented an update on the Portland Police Bureau's Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) program, describing infrastructure-building progress, new officer training, and a planned grant application to fund a dedicated ERPO specialist by 2027.
- Council debated a proposed ordinance to de-prioritize enforcement of natural psychedelics and create a Psychedelics Advisory Commission; the item was held to allow sponsors to revise the commission language and bring it back in August.
- A third agenda item on firearms prohibition as a defense for concealed handgun licenses was postponed to July 21st to allow further discussion between Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman.
Action Items
- Sergeant Silverman to continue ERPO officer training (one-hour class for all PPB officers through the Training Division).
- Sergeant Silverman to apply for a grant to fund a dedicated ERPO review and application specialist, targeting full operation by end of 2027.
- Staff to follow up with the Behavioral Health Unit regarding its relationship to the Crisis Response unit for a future committee briefing.
- PPB or BOEC to brief the committee on dispatch protocols for mental health calls and the decision process for routing calls to Project Respond vs. sworn officers.
- Psychedelics ordinance sponsors to draft a revised amendment narrowing the commission's scope to city-jurisdiction duties, with legal counsel review, for the August committee meeting.
- Someone from the City Attorney's Office to advise on liability concerns related to posting psychedelics safety information on the city website.
- Sponsors to request a formal letter of support or position from Multnomah County Public Health Director regarding the psychedelics ordinance.
- Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman to meet and discuss improvements to the firearms prohibition affirmative defense ordinance before July 21st.
Issues Discussed (12)
PPB Sergeant Josh Silverman reported that all patrol officers are being trained to complete ERPOs and outlined plans to apply for a grant that would fund a dedicated specialist to retroactively review past crisis calls and file ERPOs within days of incidents. Councilors expressed support and asked follow-up questions about demographic data on ERPO recipients and dispatch routing between sworn officers and Project Respond.
Council debated a proposed ordinance to de-prioritize enforcement of natural psychedelics and establish a Psychedelics Advisory Commission, with councilors broadly supportive of the de-prioritization component but raising concerns about commission staffing, bureau placement, jurisdictional overlap with Multnomah County, and legal review. The chair directed sponsors to return in August with a revised, narrowed amendment addressing those concerns and confirmed to have cleared legal counsel.
The ordinance on firearms prohibition as an affirmative defense for concealed handgun licensees was postponed to July 21st without discussion, as Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman had not yet met to work through potential improvements to the draft.
Referenced during broader public safety discussion, but Portland Street Response was not a distinct agenda item and received no dedicated presentation or action in this meeting.
Referenced during broader committee discussion but no substantive information about Public Works Committee agenda planning appears in this Community & Public Safety Committee meeting summary.
Referenced during the Community & Public Safety Committee meeting but not discussed; the agenda focused entirely on public safety items including ERPO program updates, psychedelics de-prioritization, and a firearms ordinance.
Referenced during broader public safety discussions, but no specific agenda item or testimony addressing the impacts of public safety budget cuts was presented in this meeting.
Referenced in the meeting agenda but not discussed or described in the meeting summary; no information about this specific ordinance was included in the committee's proceedings on July 7, 2026.
Mentioned briefly in the context of scheduling, with the chair directing psychedelics ordinance sponsors to return in August with a revised amendment and the firearms ordinance postponed to July 21st, but no formal discussion of broader committee agenda priorities took place.
The committee held an extended discussion on the proposed ordinance to de-prioritize enforcement of natural psychedelics and establish a Psychedelics Advisory Commission; while councilors broadly supported the de-prioritization component, they raised concerns about the commission's staffing, bureau placement, jurisdictional scope, and legal review status. The chair directed sponsors to return in August with a revised, narrowed amendment that addresses those concerns and has cleared legal counsel.
The ordinance related to firearms prohibition as an affirmative defense for concealed handgun licensees was postponed without discussion to July 21st, as Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman had not yet had the opportunity to meet to discuss potential improvements to the draft.
PPB Sergeant Josh Silverman reported that all patrol officers are now being trained to complete ERPOs and outlined plans to apply for a grant that would fund a dedicated specialist to retroactively review past crisis calls and file ERPOs within days of incidents. Councilors expressed support and asked follow-up questions about demographic data on ERPO recipients and dispatch routing between sworn officers and Project Respond.