Portland Police Chief Comments On Custody Death

from OPB.org

Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer said Monday detectives are still looking into what police actions led to the death of a man she described as homeless and mentally ill.

James Chasse died Sunday the 17th of September from what the medical examiner called blunt trauma to the chest.

Sizer says the officers involved are very sorry Chasse died. But she also lashed out at what she calls the "larger context" of mental health services. Sizer criticized the role that prisons and street police officers play in administering to the mentally ill.

Rosie Sizer: "We will rigorously examine our actions, our policies, training, and procedures. We ask Portlanders to examine if our social safety nets meet their needs, and meet our community's expectations."

Several witnesses to the confrontation between police and James Chasse complained to the bureau that the officers involved used excessive force.

By late Monday, the Multnomah County district attorney's office hadn't indicated if it would empanel a grand jury to look into Chasse's death.

Mayor Tom Potter and Chief Rosie Sizer both said they wanted to publicize as much information as possible about the investigation.

The Portland incident came within days of deadly police shootings in Washington and Deschutes counties.