Portland Police Adopt Breastfeeding Policy

The Portland Police Bureau adopted a new breastfeeding policy that expands the rights of lactating officers.

Under the bureau's new policies, breastfeeding cops are allowed three paid breaks a day to pump breast milk. Plus, the police are required to provide a private place—a room at a precinct, not a public bathroom—to do the pumping, reports the Portland Mercury .

The policy also allows nursing mothers a two-week "transition" period when they get back from maternity leave, wherein they can take a desk job rather than having to jump straight into patrol.

The other big change in the rules concerns the heavy bulletproof vests officers are required to wear. The vests are usually worn so tightly that officers complain they can cut off breast milk flow and cause infection. Now, nursing officers will have the option to instead wear a looser, external ballistic vest that they must purchase with their own money.

Related:

DC Chief, Police Union At Odds Over Breastfeeding Policy