Commissioner Meieran criticizes lack of transparency in MultCo deflection program

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County leaders are working against the clock to get a deflection center open by September, giving people the option for rehabilitation over jail when they get arrested with small amounts of street drugs.

County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson shared a plan late Friday that would require someone dropped off at the deflection center to not just get a screening and referral for treatment, but also engage with the recommended service within 30 days.

And if that person does not follow up and is caught with drugs within the next 30 days, they would be arrested and taken to jail.

However, the county chair has recently faced criticism for creating a deflection center plan without the input of other commissioners—instead working behind closed doors with other county leaders such as Police Chief Bob Day and District Attorney Mike Schmidt.

Commissioners Sharon Meieran and Julia Brim-Edwards have long criticized the Chair’s closed door process and lack of transparency with residents.

In a conversation with KOIN 6 News on Saturday, Commissioner Meieran said the county should be spending taxpayer money on opening a sobering center. 

“It’s treatment. And then it’s recovery services, recovery housing—it’s whatever they need to be on the path. That’s success.,” Meieran said. “I don’t see any element of that or even any understanding of that in that system and what I’ve seen come out of this behind-closed-doors leadership team.”

Commissioners Meieran and Julia Brim-Edwards also want more information about the deflection plan, specifically what defines “engaged with treatment” and where drug users could get referred to for additional help.

The deflection program is expected to begin when House Bill 4002 goes into effect on Sept. 1, effectively resuming the use of criminal penalties for those who possess drugs in the state after years under the controversial Measure 110.

In preparation for the September deadline, the county has signed a contract with the Tuerk House—a Baltimore nonprofit that provides drug and alcohol treatment—to operate the deflection center located on Southeast Sandy Boulevard.

The program passed with a 3-2 vote from the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, effectively allocating $2 million to the development of the center. However, it passed with a joint amendment that required updates to the program’s plan by Aug. 15.