The Oregon City Police Department Has Hired A Behavioral Health Specialist (Photo) -12/07/20

The Oregon City Police Department has been working on this new position since Fall of last year, after determining the need for a new approach to helping members of the community in crisis.  Mrs. Valentina Muggia, who started today, December 7, 2020, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has been working with Law Enforcement Agencies for the past 20 years.  Most recently she worked with Clackamas County Behavioral Health in the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) assisting law enforcement agencies when they had contact with individuals and their families, that were experiencing mental health crisis.

As the homeless population has grown exponentially in Oregon City, police officers have increasingly been called to help with issues in the community that involve people with mental illness.  Most of these calls are not criminal in nature, they are people who need help.  Officers also respond to many calls of people who need help with mental illness that are not homeless.

The Oregon City Police Department has worked with members of the Clackamas County Behavioral Health Unit when they are available, but those resources are spread too thin.  OCPD wanted to bring those services in house for a variety of reasons.  Chief Jim Band said, “One of the main reasons is to have a behavioral health specialist work with members of the community after the crisis, doing ongoing case work to connect them to services.  The ultimate goal is to offer help and provide trauma informed care to the most vulnerable members of our community reducing the need for police whenever possible.”

When the police are called for such incidents, the behavioral health specialist will be able to respond to the scene with officers to provide guidance and aid in problem-solving.  The specialist will also provide ongoing training to members of all City Departments, including the police, library, pool, City Hall, and senior center. 

Valentina received her Master in Social Work from Portland State University and her Bachelor in Languages from the University of Oregon.  Valentina is excited for her new position at the Oregon City Police Department and said, “I am looking forward to being able to make a difference in my community.”  Her extensive training in crisis intervention, trauma response and severe and persistent mental health illness will allow to serve the community well.