Register-Guard
October 23, 2022
Eugene’s alternatives to armed police response, including White Bird Clinic’s nationally lauded CAHOOTS program, are an example of best practices but aren’t without challenges, a law enforcement expert told Eugene officials.
Michelle Weinzetl, a law enforcement consultant with Berry Dunn, is leading a team from the Maine-based consulting firm in evaluating CAHOOTS, community service officers, downtown ambassadors and other options that could respond to calls for service instead of an armed response by the Eugene Police Department.
CAHOOTS, White Bird Clinic’s unarmed crisis response team, was first up in the study, and Weinzetl gave some takeaways about the program during a work session earlier this month.