Injured Westerman on the mend, ready for duty

As reported a couple weeks ago, Portland Police Sgt. Scott Westerman, a Hillsdale neighbor and former police neighborhood liaison in Southwest Portland is out of the hospital and well on the mend after being injured in the line of duty two weeks ago.

The injury happened Sunday, Dec. 18 around midnight in SE Portland, and Scott got out of the hospital, Dec. 19, after an 18-hour stay.

While pursuing a suspect on foot in SE Portland, Scott tripped and hit a curb face on. The fall "rearranged" four teeth and dislodged one. He broke a facial bone, dislocated his left ring finger and got "lots of bumps and bruises," he said.

He didn't lose his humor though. He describes his fall as leaving him looking like a duck-billed platypus.

Scott, who was recently promoted to sergeant, recounted how a senior sergeant jokingly lectured him ("Scott, Scott, Scott") about the sergeant's need to stay in the squad car and leave it to lower ranking officers to give chase.

Scott, who put in light duty last week, expects to be back to work full-time in the first week of the new year.