Portland police receive new de-escalation training

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Trainers from outside agencies spent two days teaching Portland police instructors how they can help patrol officers better defuse encounters with suspects who aren’t wielding guns, but may have a knife, baseball bat or other object and may be emotionally disturbed.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports about 40 Portland police training instructors and members of the bureau’s Tactical Operations Division and Special Emergency Reaction Team attended the training this week.

The session was at the invitation of the Portland Police Bureau, which has been criticized for years for encounters with people suffering from mental illness that escalate into shootings.

A few weeks ago, Portland police officers shot and killed a man with a knife inside a homeless shelter. He had run into the shelter after he was suspected of carjacking a woman and threatening others. Police are still investigating.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com