Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 10/20/26
Portland council heard a pitch to spin street response crisis teams into their own city bureau, costing an estimated $144k/year, taking on 14,000 of the 23,000 welfare checks cops currently handle. Smith says that estimate's bogus given the $170M deficit and wants cuts named first; Kanal and Morillo back it. No decision made.
Agenda
Summary
A proposal to turn Portland Street Response into its own bureau, called 'Portland CARES,' was presented to councilors. The bureau would sit alongside the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy and the Office of Violence Prevention, as an equal branch with police and fire. PSR's advisory committee unanimously adopted eight recommendations. Besides the new bureau, they include writing PSR into city code as a non-enforcement model, expanding it to 24 hours a day (it now runs 6 a.m. to midnight), shifting more welfare checks from police to PSR, building out its training academy, supporting staff wellness, expanding multilingual outreach, and making the advisory committee permanent. A study found about 14,000 of the roughly 23,000 welfare checks police handle each year could go to PSR. Starting December 1, the 911 center will have a dedicated PSR dispatcher. Community Safety Director Stephanie Howard estimated the bureau-related changes would cost about $144,000 a year.
Cost drew sharp disagreement. Councilor Smith cited a $170 million deficit, said she doubted the estimate, and asked for the full cost of 24/7 staffing. She also asked presenters to suggest which programs could be cut and argued Multnomah County should share the cost. Councilors Kanal and Morillo backed the recommendations. They argued PSR is a 911 public safety responder rather than a homelessness program, that it frees police for higher-priority calls, and that the deficit figure is overstated. No vote was taken.
In the second half, Police Chief Bob Day and Communications Manager Mike Benner explained how body camera footage from police shootings and in-custody deaths is released. Footage comes out within 14 days, council now gets it 8 hours ahead, and a narrated summary is followed by raw footage. The Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) and Councilor Kanal raised concerns about subjective narration and which camera angles are included. PPB agreed to look at releasing all angles and putting council notification in writing, and PCCEP may review narrations. The next committee meeting is November 17, chaired by Councilor Morillo.
Key Points
- The Portland Street Response (PSR) Advisory Committee presented eight recommendations it had adopted unanimously. They include moving PSR into a new bureau called 'Portland CARES' alongside the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy and the Office of Violence Prevention, writing PSR into city code as a non-enforcement model, expanding call types including welfare checks, expanding to 24/7 service, building out a training academy, budgeting for staff recruitment, retention and wellness, expanding multilingual outreach, and making the advisory committee permanent.
- Director Stephanie Howard estimated the bureau, reclassification and committee-support recommendations would cost about $144,000 per year. Councilor Smith questioned that figure, cited a $170 million deficit, and said she will not support expansions funded with one-time money. Councilors Kanal and Morillo defended PSR and the cost estimate.
- Under a call reallocation study, an estimated 14,000 (61%) of the roughly 23,000 welfare checks Portland Police handle each year could go to PSR. PSR calls were split from one code into six call types on October 1, and a dedicated PSR dispatcher at BOEC starts December 1.
- Police Chief Bob Day and Communications Manager Mike Benner explained the body-worn camera program and the procedure for releasing critical incident footage. Footage is released within 14 days, the procedure was revised so council receives it 8 hours before release, and a narrated summary is followed by raw footage.
- PCCEP raised concerns about subjectivity in narrated summary videos, separate private screenings, and inconsistent release practices, citing the Daymon Lamar Johnson case. Councilor Kanal questioned whether a narrated version should be released at all and noted the release procedure was not shared with his office for more than a year after it was created.
Votes (1)
Approval of Minutes
Approval of Community and Public Safety Committee meeting minutes from September 1 through September 15, 2026
Action Items
- Director Howard to send Councilor Smith the PSR expansion plan, including personnel costs for 24/7 operation
- PSR presenters asked to meet with Councilor Smith within a month with ideas on which ongoing programs could be cut to fund expansion
- Director Howard to look into PSR staff pay compared with other cities and the feasibility of tracking how PSR calls would be coded if handled by police
- Councilor Novick to follow up with presenters on contacts in Dayton and Minneapolis
- PPB to discuss releasing all raw camera angles, not only those used in narrated videos
- PPB to work on putting council notification of critical incidents in writing
- PPB to ask its Records Division how redaction methods are chosen
- PCCEP asked to consider reviewing narrations and whether a narrated version should be released
- Next committee meeting November 17, 2026, chaired by Councilor Morillo
Issues Discussed (9)
The committee reviewed eight unanimously-adopted recommendations from PSR's advisory committee, including spinning PSR into a new "Portland CARES" bureau, expanding to 24/7 service, and shifting more welfare checks from police to PSR (a study found ~14,000 of 23,000 annual checks could transfer). Councilor Smith challenged the $144,000 cost estimate given the city's $170 million deficit, while Councilors Kanal and Morillo backed the recommendations; no vote was taken.
Police Chief Bob Day and Communications Manager Mike Benner outlined body camera footage release procedures for police shootings and in-custody deaths, noting footage is released within 14 days with council receiving it 8 hours in advance. PCCEP and Councilor Kanal raised concerns about subjective narration choices and incomplete camera angles, prompting PPB to agree to explore releasing all angles and formalizing council notification in writing.
Referenced indirectly during discussion of shifting welfare checks from police to Portland Street Response, with a study finding about 14,000 of the roughly 23,000 annual police welfare checks could be redirected to free up officers for higher-priority calls; no specific data on police response times was presented.
Community Safety Director Stephanie Howard presented a cost estimate of about $144,000 per year for restructuring Portland Street Response into a new "Portland CARES" bureau and implementing related advisory committee recommendations. Councilor Smith disputed the estimate, citing the city's $170 million deficit and requesting full costs for 24/7 staffing, while Councilors Kanal and Morillo supported the plan; no vote was taken.
Committee debated cost estimates tied to proposed PSR expansion and "Portland CARES" bureau creation, with Director Stephanie Howard pegging the annual cost at about $144,000 while Councilor Smith disputed that figure, citing the city's $170 million deficit and requesting a full cost breakdown for 24/7 staffing plus potential program cuts. No vote was taken, with Councilors Kanal and Morillo supporting the recommendations and arguing the deficit figure was overstated.
Referenced only indirectly through discussion of shifting welfare checks from police to Portland Street Response, with no specific police staffing expansion or cost plan presented; the meeting instead focused on PSR's proposed restructuring into a new "Portland CARES" bureau and its associated costs.
Not substantively addressed in this meeting; the discussion focused on Portland Street Response's advisory committee recommendations and bureau restructuring rather than broader budget-process engagement tools like mapping or trade-off tools.
Community Safety Director Stephanie Howard estimated the proposed Portland CARES bureau and related PSR expansion would cost about $144,000 annually, but Councilor Smith challenged the figure given the city's $170 million deficit, requested full 24/7 staffing costs, and suggested Multnomah County share the expense. Councilors Kanal and Morillo countered that the deficit was overstated and defended PSR as an essential 911 responder; no vote was taken.
Community Safety Director Stephanie Howard estimated the proposed Portland CARES bureau and related PSR recommendations would cost about $144,000 annually, but Councilor Smith disputed the figure given the city's $170 million deficit, called for full 24/7 staffing cost estimates, and suggested Multnomah County share funding responsibility. No vote was taken on the funding mechanism.