Police throughout the metro area expect this fall to start routinely calling for an ambulance to carry people suffering a mental health crisis to the hospital instead of handcuffing them in the back of a patrol car for the ride. The state has adopted new rules that allow for ambulance services to apply to provide secure transport for people suffering behavioral health problems. "This really is not criminal behavior. So why do you put someone who needs help frankly in a caged police car? It's not the appropriate response for somebody who really needs medical help,'' said Portland police Capt. Mike Marshman. "These folks being handcuffed in a car can traumatize them even more." A group of hospital officials and emergency department doctors, police and ambulance company executives have met once a month for more than a year to develop the new approach.