Skip to main content
Multnomah County must immediately open a round-the-clock sobering center where police can take people who are intoxicated and can’t care for themselves, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said in a letter to County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson today.
“We can no longer accept the consequences of further delay,” Day said in the letter, first reported by KATU-TV. “The absence of a 24/7 first responder drop-off center is a critical public safety crisis, resulting in a staggering burden on law enforcement and millions in lost taxpayer dollars.”
Day’s letter comes three days after Multnomah County disclosed its plans for a “deflection center” on Southeast Sandy Boulevard, where people can avoid the criminal justice system if they agree to seek treatment. The center won’t offer sobering services until next year, and beds will be limited.
The deflection plans were developed behind closed doors by a group that included Vega Pederson and Day, among others. Members of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, excluded from the meeting, had pressed Vega Pederson to make sobering a priority at the deflection center, spurring heated debate.
Day also sat in on meetings with Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards before she released her proposal for a dedicated sobering center in April. Today, Day urged the county to act on that plan.
“While we understand there may be challenges, we urge the Board of County Commissioners to prioritize the immediate implementation of the plan submitted in April 2024 for a 24/7 First Responder Drop Off/Sobering Center with in-house transportation,” Day wrote.
The Oregon Legislature introduced the term “deflection” in House Bill 4002, passed in March, which recriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, overturning a central plank of Measure 110. As a condition of that, the Legislature asked counties to take steps to keep drug users out of the criminal justice system, as Measure 110 intended.
Recriminalization starts Sept. 1. The legislation sets no deadline for setting up deflection services, but Vega Pederson has said the county intends to have some in place by then.
Though not required by the Legislature, Multnomah County decided to create a temporary center in an old printing plant on Sandy where police can bring people willing to try deflection. Retrofitting the building is expected to cost as much at $2 million.
Multnomah County hasn’t had a sobering center since 2020, when Central City Concern closed one amid concern for the safety of clients and staff.
Day recommended that the county either open two centers, one downtown and one in the eastern portion of the county, or open just one out east.
“Downtown and the Central Eastside already have multiple service organizations, but more importantly, our East County law enforcement spend an inordinate amount of time driving to downtown Portland,” Day wrote.
The temporary deflection center is in the Central Eastside, at 900 SE Sandy Blvd.
Vega Pederson answered Day’s letter with a one-paragraph email today.
“I appreciate the outreach you did to both your members and others in law enforcement to gather their feedback based on my request,” Vega Pederson wrote. “We will respond with a more detailed letter, and I look forward to further conversation with you and our other law enforcement partners on the county’s plan for bringing sobering resources, including a 24/7 drop-off facility, online.”
(Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Central City Concern closed the Hooper Detoxification Center in 2020. It closed a sobering station, not the center. WW regrets the error.)