STORY
STORY KGW
STORY KGW DOT COM TO TALK TO US THROUGHOUT THE SHOW.
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
>> IN THE MEANTIME, LET'S GET
TO WORK.
TO WORK.
TO WORK. THIS IS THE BIG STORY TONIGHT.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED LAST FRIDAY.
A POLICE OFFICER SHOT
AND KILLED A MAN NAMED ROBERT
DELGAGO AT LENTS PARK IN
SOUTHEAST PORTLAND.
SOUTHEAST PORTLAND. SO WE FILED SOME PUBLIC RECORDS
REQUEST BECAUSE OF THIS.
WE FOLLOWED HIM WITH THE CITY
JUST THIS MORNING.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS LIKE
THE POLICE DISPATCH LOGS, THE
NINE ONE ONE CALLS ALL THE KIND
OF STUFF THAT THE POLICE HAVE
THAT MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T SHARED
WITH US JUST YET BUT CAN KIND
OF HELP US PEICE EVERYTHING
TOGETHER AND THIS TAKES WEEKS.
IT'LL TAKE A WHILE SOMETIMES
MONTHS EVEN TO GET THESE
REQUESTS FILLED.
REQUESTS FILLED. >> BUT JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS
AGO WE CAN TELL YOU THE
PORTLAND POLICE DID RELEASE
SOME PRETTY MAJOR BITS
OF EVIDENCE THAT ARE HELPING US
AT LEAST UNDERSTAND A LITTLE
BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT LED UP TO
THIS SHOOTING.
THIS SHOOTING. IT INCLUDES A TIMELINE OF THE
POLICE RESPONSE PHOTOS OF A
REPLICA GUN THAT POLICE A
DELGAGO HAD THAT DAY AND AN 18
MINUTE LONG AUDIO OF POLICE
DISPATCH LOGS.
DISPATCH LOGS. >> WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF THE
TIMELINE, ALL THAT DIFFERENT
STUFF.
STUFF.
STUFF. IT'S A KGW DOTCOM RIGHT NOW IF
YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK, WE'RE
ALSO GOING HAVE MORE ON IT AT
SIX SUN630.
SIX SUN630. BUT FOR NOW LET'S TAKE A LITTLE
BACK
BACK AND
BACK AND LET'S ANSWER A HUGE QUESTION THAT'S BEEN ON
THE TOP OF MINDS OF A LOT
PEOPLE IN THIS CITY LIKE WHY
WERE ONLY POLICE OFFICERS SENT
TO THAT CALL IN THE FIRST
PLACE?
PLACE?
PLACE? AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE
PORTLANDER JUST POURED MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS INTO THIS
NEW PROGRAM THAT KIND OF SEEMS
LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD
ALTERNATIVE THAT DAY.
911 DISPATCHERS HAVE ALREADY
SAID THAT THIS CALL THERE WAS A
WEAPON INVOLVED, ALL THAT SORT
OF STUFF.
OF STUFF.
OF STUFF. IT WASN'T THE RIGHT FIT FOR
THIS UNIT.
THIS UNIT. >> BUT IT TURNS OUT THERE WERE
A LOT OF CALLS THAT DON'T SEEM
TO BE A RIGHT FIT FOR THIS
UNIT.
UNIT.
UNIT. >>
UNIT. >> HERE'S MAGGIE VESP.
>> I LIVE HERE.
I LIVE PRETTY CLOSE TO A PARK.
MY DAUGHTER SAW THE MEMORIAL
AND SHE ASKED ME WHAT SE
PORTLANDER LENTS NEIGHBORHOOD
IS TIGHT KNIT AND PEOPLE HERE
ARE GRIEVING.
ARE GRIEVING. >> WHAT HAPPENED FRIDAY?
THE COMMUNITY I WOULD SAY IS
SAD, CONFUSED, UPSET THOSE
EMOTIONS SAYS NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION CHAIR SABENA URDES
HAVE LAYER'S FIRST THERE'S A
FATAL POLICE SHOOTING ITSELF.
FORTY SIX YEAR OLD ROBERT
DELGAGO REPORTEDLY HOMELESS
AND LONG AFRAID OF POLICE IS
DEAD.
DEAD.
DEAD. PORTLAND POLICE SAID THE
OFFICER WHO SHOT HIM BELIEVED
HE WAS ARMED.
THEY NOW SAY IT WAS A REPLICA
GUN AND RELEASED THIS PHOTO.
SOME WITNESSES SAID THEY DIDN'T
SEE A GUN AT ALL.
THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
>> THAT'S LAYER NUMBER ONE.
IT WAS VERY JARRING TO HEAR
WHAT HAPPENED.
WHAT HAPPENED. >> LAYER NUMBER TWO, SOME ARE
ASKING WHY POLICE WERE SENT IN
THE FIRST PLACE, ESPECIALLY
WHEN THE CITY OF PORTLANDER
JUST FOUR TO FOUR POINT FIVE
MILLION DOLLARS INTO LAUNCHING
A NEW ALTERNATIVE.
ITS NAME PORTLANDER STREET
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. WE'RE ANXIOUS AND JUST READY TO
GET STARTED KGW COVER PSR WAS
LAUNCHED BACK IN FEBRUARY.
THE PROGRAM GIVES NINE ONE ONE
OPERATORS THE OPTION OF SENDING
AN EMT AND A CRISIS COUNSELOR
TO CALLS INVOLVING MENTAL
HEALTH OR ADDICTION.
FOR NOW PORTLANDER STREET
RESPONSE IS FOCUSED ON THE
LENTS NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE
FRIDAY'S SHOOTING HAPPENED
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. POLICE WERE BLUNT 911
DISPATCHERS WERE TOLD DELGADO
WAS ARMED.
WAS ARMED. THAT RULED OUT THE OPTION
OF SENDING PORTLANDER STREET
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. >> THIS WOULD NOT HAVE FIT
WITHIN THE PROTOCOLS TO
DISPATCH THEM SAMMARRIA THAT
RATIONALE WOULD BE SIMPLE
ENOUGH, SAYS URDES.
IF PORTLANDER STREET RESPONSE
WASN'T SO OFTEN KEPT ON THE
SIDELINES, WE WERE SURPRISED TO
LEARN ABOUT THE LOCAL VOLUME
LAST WEEK TWO DAYS BEFORE THAT
POLICE SHOOTING THE WILLAMETTE
WEEK REPORTED PSR WAS BEING
VASTLY UNDERUTILIZED WITH
EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS SENDING
THE TEAMS TO ONE OR TWO CALLS A
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. PSR
DAY. PSR STAFF TOLD REPORTER TESS
RISKY THEY COULD HANDLE FOUR TO
FIVE TIMES THAT.
>> AND WHAT DID YOU THINK
OF THOSE NUMBERS?
SO I UNDERSTAND THERE TO BE A
FEW DIFFERENT REASONS BEHIND
THE CALL VOLUME ONE OF THE
FIRST ARGUMENTS OF COURSE IS
THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM SO WE'RE
TRYING TO ROLL THINGS OUT
SLOWLY AND DO RIGHT .
BUT ANOTHER THING I'VE HEARD IS
THAT THERE'S A SPECIFIC TRIAGE
CRITERIA THAT HAS TO BE MET KGW
CONFIRMED THAT CRITERIA WITH
PORTLANDER BUREAU OF EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS IN ORDER FOR
DISPATCHERS TO SEND A
PORTLANDER STREET RESPONSE.
THE PERSON IN QUESTION HAS TO
AMONG OTHER THINGS BE POSSIBLY
EXPERION SAYING A MENTAL HEALTH
CRISIS INTOXICATED OR ON DRUGS
THEY HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE OR IN A
PUBLIC SPACE.
PUBLIC SPACE. THEY CAN'T HAVE ANY WEAPONS OR
BE BEHAVING VIOLENTLY AND THEY
CAN'T BE OBSTRUCTING TRAFFIC,
BOEC TOLD KGW.
DISPATCHERS ARE FORWARDING
EVERY CALL QUALIFIES TO
PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE.
APSARA TOLD RISKY THEY'RE
RESPONDING TO EVERY CALL THEY
GET.
GET.
GET. NO
GET. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY THERE
ARE SO FEW CALLS THAT QUALIFY
FOR THIS NEW PROGRAM.
KGW ALSO REACHED OUT TO CITY
COMMISSIONER JOANNE HARDESTY
WHO'S OVERSEEING PSR.
SHE DECLINED TO COMMENT IN
LIGHT OF FRIDAY'S SHOOTING
PEOPLE IN LENTS TELLING RISKY
THEY'RE FRUSTRATED ESPECIALLY
KNOWING THE MONEY FOR PORTLAND
STREET RESPONSE WAS CUT FROM
THE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU'S
BUDGET.
BUDGET.
BUDGET. >> THE NEIGHBORS IN
NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE A LOT
OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS OVER THE
ROLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VERSUS
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO SOME
OF THEM FEEL LIKE POLICE DON'T
RESPOND QUICKLY.
RESPOND QUICKLY. >> LOOKING AROUND HER
NEIGHBORHOOD, URDES DOESN'T
UNDERSTAND THE LACK OF CALLS
FIT FOR PORTLAND STREET
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. LENTS IS HARD HIT BY THE
HOUSING CRISIS.
HOUSING CRISIS. THERE'S A MASSIVE NEED AND EVEN
AFTER HEARING 911, ONE CALLER
SAID DELGAGO WAS ARMED URDES
FEELS LIKE PSR COULD HAVE
HELPED AND IT'S JUST KIND
OF HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE
POLICE RESPONSE WASN'T SUCH
WHERE THEY COULD KIND OF DSCOVR
TO THE POINT WHERE THEY COULD
BRING IN STREET RESPONSE TO
TALK TO THAT