Sgt. Kevin Allen, Public Information Officer (PIO) with the Portland Police Bureau
It’s time to catch up with an old friend of ours, Sgt. Kevin Allen, PIO (Public Information Officer) with the Portland Police Bureau. In addition to getting to the bottom of whether PIO’s actually help catch bad guys (does email count?), and whether Melissa and Staci drank any beers in college - Melissa and Staci get to the bottom of mental health topics both regarding police officers themselves, and related to the community they serve.
Welcome Kevin!
In this episode we cover topics such as:
What is the PPB doing in regards to officer wellness?
Has the wellness program improved outcomes for officers?
What is the Crisis Negotiators Team vs. the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team - and when do these specialists get called in?
What happens in the police Crisis Intervention Training?
How does the Portland Police Bureau work with Portland Street Response?
What is the PPB Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT)? Who staffs it?
What are Kevin’s thoughts on the Defund the Police movement?
Are there 3rd locations to divert people (besides jail and the ER) a police officer can bring someone? What options are available?
What coordination exists to link these providers together?
BHRT video (Behavioral Health Response Team) - mentioned in the episode
Crisis Call - Trigger warning, this shows a suicide prevention in progress.
About Kevin Allen:
Portland Police Bureau Sergeant Kevin Allen has served the community of Portland for over 21 years, including four years as a volunteer reserve officer, and over 16 years as a full-time police officer. He was assigned to patrol for 10 years, primarily in the downtown core. He was a member of the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team (ECIT), a volunteer team of officers who receive specialized crisis communication training and are called upon to respond to calls when a subject is in mental health crisis. He has responded to numerous mental health crisis calls, including subjects who are imminently threatening suicide. For the past 5 years, Kevin has been assigned as Public Information Officer for PPB.
Related Internal Chatter Episodes
Kim Schneiderman, Ex. Director of NAMI SW WA on Mental Illness - cyclical / ongoing mental illness
Richard Ott on Inpatient Psychiatric Care, Law Enforcement, and the Unhoused Juggernaut - mentioned in the episode
Curtis Miller, Connect Ed, Suicide Prevention through Connectedness - how to connect in your community