News Here’s a U.S. Department of Justice agreement a lot of people have overlooked: the state of Oregon is on the hook to make sure its mental health programs are not violating the Americans with Disability Act. The DOJ has had the state under investigation since 2010. Under the ADA, a state cannot segregate individuals with disabilities—including severe and persistent mental illness—in institutional ...   More

News (Updated Nov. 27)Fifty six Portland Police Officers tossed their names in to serve on the bureau's soon-to-be expanded Crisis Intervention Team, a police spokesman tells WW.Not long after the Department of Justice released its report finding PPB officers have a pattern and practice of using excessive force on those with mental illness, Chief Mike Reese announced the city would create a 24-hour intervention ...   More

News The U.S. Department of Justice has declined to comment to WW whether and how the shooting of an apparently mentally ill person by a central precinct police officer last week will affect a recently launched DOJ investigation of the Portland Police Bureau. Nevertheless, it's clear DOJ officials will be looking over the bureau's shoulder as it investigates the incident internally. On Thursday, Officer ...   More

News The long saga of the Oregon Department of Justice's investigation into contracting practices at the Oregon Department of Energy has gotten even longer.First, a recap: DOJ began an investigation last August into whether ODOE employees had improperly steered a $60,000 subcontract to a Bend renewable energy consulting firm run by Cylvia Hayes, the longtime companion of Gov. John Kitzhaber. At the time ...   More

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News Last week's forum in Portland at the Q Center on gay bashing revealed that many members of the LGBTQ community feel uncomfortable reporting bias crimes to the police. Days after the June 2 forum, the state Department of Justice is announcing the establishment of a confidential bias crime reporting system for anyone who's been targeted as a result of their race, gender, religion and sexual orienation. ...   More