PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – In less than two months, House Bill 4002 will go into effect and officially reintroduce criminal penalties for those who possess drugs.

But under Multnomah County’s new deflection program, people caught using drugs can avoid arrest — and still walk away without mandated treatment.

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Meanwhile, commissioners believe this plan was built without their input and could return to the status quo of Measure 110 before the recent house bill was passed.

Sharon Meieran claims that her fellow commissioners “have not been involved in the conversation at all.”

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has recently faced pushback after having closed-door meetings with District Attorney Mike Schmidt, the Portland police chief and others to implement the bill, while telling commissioners, “Making sure that you’re involved in the progress of things has been a priority.”

“I want to be more than ‘aware of,’ I want to be involved in the conversation,” Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said in response. “Because we are all going to be accountable for it, and I think we all have something to contribute.”

The Chair told KOIN 6 News they don’t currently have a limit to how many times a person caught doing drugs can opt out of arrest and instead choose deflection, but they plan to alert the justice system if a person is already in a diversion program or legally required not to use substances.

“It’s not going to be a requirement that people have to go through treatment, but they do need to be engaging in some kind of services, or engagement, or interaction that is going to help them get on the path to more stability,” Vega Pederson said.

Under the current plan, Portland police officers will drive deflected people to the drop-off center — which Chief Bob Day said is “needed for public safety.”

On his behalf, the Portland Police Bureau said, “Chief Day’s biggest concern comes down to resources. He’s concerned the lack of addiction services will result in people not getting the help they so desperately need.”

The current lack of treatment options is one reason the Chair said Multnomah County will adopt a less strict plan than those of other Oregon counties, which will require a 90-day deflection program.

But Commissioner Brim-Edwards echoed concerns raised by her constituents and law enforcement.

“We went from a citation where it took five minutes to maybe now you were going to be taking people to a center, but it’s like a citation that just takes us longer to do,” she said. “So the trade-off is like, ‘Should I even spend time doing that if it’s going to be the same outcome?’”

Meanwhile, Chair Vega Pederson said she understands the community wants to see “something different.”

“Nobody wants to be walking down the streets and seeing people who are publicly using…who want to get help, need help, and we don’t have the help there for them,” Vega Pederson said. “Ultimately, that is what the long-term plan of this system is…to make sure that people have the resources that they need, the treatment that they need in that moment.”

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.

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