Multnomah County DA-elect Nathan Vasquez said Tuesday that he will insist that the county’s approach to drug possession cases starting this fall “must include accountability and meaningful connection to treatment.”

Beginning Wednesday, Vasquez will start attending the county’s closed-door planning meetings at the invitation of county Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. She overrode objections by current DA Mike Schmidt to bring Vasquez to the table.

After the May primary, Vasquez asked Schmidt to include him in the county’s policy discussions around the implementation of House Bill 4002, legislation passed this year making drug possession a misdemeanor crime.

Schmidt declined, telling Vasquez in an email that he plans to serve out his term and spelling out his expectations of Vasquez in the meantime.

“You should expect that I will continue to run the agency in the way that I determine is best,” Schmidt wrote to Vasquez in a May 29 email obtained through a public records request. “It’s clear that you and I have deep philosophical differences on many points. I will not be consulting you on policy, hiring, promotional, or any other operational decisions.”

Schmidt told his successor that discussions regarding the transition would wait until the fall.

Last Friday, however, former House Speaker Dan Rayfield pressed Schmidt to allow Vasquez to take part in the talks. Rayfield served as a key broker of HB 4002. He is running for attorney general.

Starting Sept. 1, the county plans to give people caught with fentanyl and other street drugs the choice of arrest or going to a drop-off “deflection” center. The center is expected to have some beds where people can safely emerge from acute intoxication. Trained staff who are in long-term recovery are also expected to be on hand to offer support and resources. However, the specifics of what the center will offer remains unclear; those discussions are ongoing.

Vega Pederson is leading those talks with a panel that includes Portland Police Chief Bob Day and Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell. A Multnomah County judge, a representative of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office, treatment providers and a defense lawyer also are in the group coming up with the county’s plan.

Vega Pederson reiterated in a meeting on Monday that people will be asked only to check into the center to satisfy the county’s so-called deflection requirements. The county’s plan includes allowing people to have an unlimited number of opportunities to choose deflection over arrest.

HB 4002 encouraged counties to develop alternatives to jail and the criminal justice system for people caught with small amounts of street drugs. The state set aside money for counties to set up systems that route people toward treatment and away from criminal sanctions.

Schmidt’s spokesperson said the DA’s role in the meetings has included providing input into who will be eligible for deflection and “what deflection success should look like.”

Vasquez said Tuesday that he plans to limit the number of times a person can opt for deflection over prosecution and he plans to require people “to engage in treatment efforts.”

-- Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184; ncrombie@oregonian.

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