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This episode of the Talking Beat features a discussion on fentanyl. Fentanyl is prevalent in Portland, crossing all demographic boundaries. It affects all races, all socioeconomic groups, and can be a deadly choice. Terri Wallo-Strauss from our strategic communications unit talks with Lt. Chris Lindsey of PPB's narcotics and organized crime unit and Eric Kilgore, founder of Henry's Uncle, a local nonprofit and host of a podcast by the same name, about the life-changing effects of fentanyl. We hope you'd take away some important information from the show. "We see a lot of cases where people who purchase from a dealer and they say, "Oh, I thought we were buying Oxycontin," or, "I thought we were buying Xanax." A lot of times, the purchasers don't know what they're getting, and they could be getting a very lethal dose of a highly, highly lethal drug." - Lt. Chris Lindsey Links: https://www.henrysuncle.org/

A conversation about recruitment and hiring with Chief Chuck Lovell and PPB's Recruitment Sergeant Trevor Tyler. We receive a lot of questions about our recruitment and hiring efforts and our plans to build the bureau back up in regard to staffing. We hope this provides some good information.

A conversation with Portland Police Chief, Chuck Lovell. It's a chance for the Chief to talk about what shaped him growing up, his experiences with the Bureau, and what service means to him.

Driving under the influence, or driving while impaired; whether it's alcohol, illegal drugs, marijuana, driving while impaired can and has killed on the streets of Portland. It's impact is far reaching from those who are injured or killed to those who are responsible. Sgt. Nick Newby talks about his experience being hit by a drunk driver.

The Portland Police Sunshine Division provides free emergency food and clothing to people in our community. We wanted to take a closer look at this long time agency and find out why police are involved, and how people can access it's services. Officer Matt Tobey acts as liaison between the Portland Police bureau and Kyle Camberg, is the Executive Director. Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/747308

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. In our own community, Portland police officers respond to domestic violence calls every day. Those calls are then turned over to a specialized unit. Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/744646

Go inside the Portland Police Bureau's Sexual Assault Unit to find out about sexual assaults and the innovative work that being is done. "The one thing that is important for victims of sexual assault to know is that you're going to be heard and your voice is going to be powerful. Yes, we do like to arrest rapists, and that is a focal point of our unit, but the victim advocacy portion combined with an investigation, I think, is the best model. It's the most progressive model out there today." - Det. Daul Links and Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/741214

Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/735629 What drugs are in Portland, how do they get on our streets or in our communities, and what is the Drugs and Vice Division doing about it? Commander Art Nakamura leads the division, which we commonly call DVD. They are responsible for investigating drug trafficking organizations and money laundering. Also: Can you report a bad driver after the fact to Police? And how many Officer Involved Shootings happen in Portland?

Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/730616 The Behavioral Health Unit coordinates the Police Bureau's response to people in behavioral crisis, whether it's from a suspected mental illness or a drug and alcohol addiction or both. Also we answer the question: "Is the thin blue line a counter to Black Lives Matter?"

Transcript: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/729721 Traffic a popular topic for officers at community meetings and whether you travel by vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, foot, bus, streetcar, MAX train or scooter, you're navigating Portland's roads with a lot of other users out on the road as well. Our Portland police traffic officers two are here today to talk about all issues. Also we answer the question: Why do police park on the sidewalk, block MAX tracks or block traffic when responding to calls?