PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell have reached an agreement on enforcement of the city's camping ban ordinance, one that could result in some violators being booked in jail if they refuse an offer of shelter.
That was how Wheeler and other officials envisioned the process when police began enforcement late last month, but the first person arrested under the ordinance was immediately released instead of being booked, and Morrisey O'Donnell subsequently announced that she wouldn't jail anyone solely for being unsheltered.
Wheeler said he was blindsided by the sheriff's announcement, and in the weeks since, he's directed Portland police to cite violators of the camping ban but not take them to jail.
In a joint news release Tuesday morning, Wheeler and Morrisey O'Donnell said that they've agreed to allow Portland police to bring offenders to be booked "once a coordinated process is developed" to make sure they're offered housing services and resources before being released.
Statements from Wheeler and Morrisey O'Donnell indicate that only some repeat violators of the ordinance would be booked.
"This momentary intervention, reserved for repeat offenders, seeks to balance accountability with addressing the challenges our community faces, while also creating pathways out of homelessness," Morrisey O'Donnell said in part.
"Arrest and booking brings accountability for the small number of people who decline to follow the law despite repeated outreach and resource referrals," Wheeler said in part.
The news release outlined a process in which people brought in for violating the camping ordinance will go through a preliminary search and verification of their identity, and have their charges recorded. Then they'll go through the recognizance process that determines whether they should be released with a court date or held in jail. Someone from the sheriff's office will also meet with them to offer shelter again.
The news release did not include a timeline for finalizing the booking process, so it's not clear exactly when the bookings would begin.
The new approach will begin with a four-month trial period, according to the news release, during which the sheriff's office will analyze the data "to determine if this approach is effective and sustainable."