The following executive summary was presented by the
Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA) Ad-Hoc Committee on the Kendra James Shooting
at a public forum on September 6, 2003
The full report will be posted on the internet by Friday, September 12, 2003.

ALBINA MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE

REPORT REGARDING THE KENDRA JAMES SHOOTING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SUB-COMMITTEE MANDATES

Both the Investigation and Training and Policy Subcommittee of the AMA Ad-Hoc committee were commissioned May 9, 2003. Their charges were to:

1. Review the investigative material presented by the Portland Police Bureau, and the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office to analyze the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Kendra James and determine whether the information supports the conclusions drawn by the PPB.

2. Review Policy and Training Issues that may have affected this case and/or has the potential to influence other cases involving the use of deadly force

3. Report their findings in an open forum to the Portland Community and based upon their findings, make recommendations for improvements to the PPB and the City of Portland

METHODS

Committee Members were involved in the review of materials generated by the investigation into the Kendra James shooting. They also reviewed existing manuals, policies and reports and carried out interviews with public officials. The dialogue and deliberation within the committee was for the purpose of analysis and clarification that provides support for conclusions drawn and foundation for the recommendations that are part of the report.

MAJOR FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Officer Scott McCollister lied. There are significant discrepancies in the testimony of the officers on the scene, what happened when Kendra James was shot, May 5, 2003. Changes in testimony from before and after the officers dined together at Applebees' restaurant, the flaws in the re-enactment video; the report from the State Forensic Lab; Eyewitness accounts and the tradition of non-indictment of Portland Police Officers; leads us to conclude that members of the PPB, colluded in a cover-up of the true facts.

Officer McCollister was in GROSS VIOLATION OF THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE POLICY when he shot Kendra James. The same discrepancies in testimony and failure of the PPB to use pertinent evidence combined with attempt at a cover-up leads us to this conclusion.

The District Attorney partners with the PPB to cover-up police criminal behaviors. There are important question regarding the District Attorney Office's special treatment of PPB members involved in a fatality resulting from the use of Deadly Force. Officers are granted privilege not extended to ordinary citizens. We have concluded that this practice, intentionally or not, supports any effort by an officer to be less than honest or to hide the real facts of a case.

The findings of State Forensic Lab did not support the findings of the Portland Police Bureau's investigation. While giving considerable weight to the altered testimony of officers at the shooting scene, the PPB ignored the findings of the State Forensic Lab. In addition, there was a profound difference in the level of inquiry when interviewing the police as compared with interviews of the independent witnesses. We conclude that the differences in the levels of inquiry were done to support the cover-up of the true facts of the case. We conclude that in addition to the officers at the shooting scene, other members of the PPB are culpable in the cover-up effort either by being dishonest about what happened or ignoring policy and best practices when investigating the case.