Oregon Mayor to Propose Deployment of Unarmed "Officers"

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler plans to bring a new policing pilot program before City Council deploy non-sworn and unarmed "officers" who would be "engaged in the community in non-emergency calls, so that's things like property crimes, break-ins," he told the Willamette Week .

The proposal calls these individuals Public Safety Support Specialists—or PS3s—funded in part by funds now no longer being spent following the dissolution of the department's Mounted Unit in 2017.

Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner says the PS3s will not respond to calls for service without a sworn officer, but they may provide support by manning the front desks at precincts or waiting for tow trucks at car accidents.