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DEPUTY FUN FACTS

On his way to give back up assistance at what turned out to be a false alarm, Gordon Haag, a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy, crashed his patrol car into a car carrying three Milwaukie women.

Two women died in the accident, and the driver of the car, Mildred Majors, suffered a broken leg. Haag also suffered a broken leg. Witnesses report that Haag did not appear to be driving abnormally fast and was sounding his sirens--but only at intersections (Oregonian, June 20).

The Sheriff's office does not expect to bring in any outside agencies to investigate the accident. They will use their own investigators to reconstruct the scene to get a better idea of what speed both cars were traveling at the time of the accident.

Clackams County has since considered changing their rules for emergency police responses. Like in Tacoma and Los Angeles, deputies will not be able to respond to emergency calls without both lights and sirens (Oregonian, June 28).

Michael Plozke, 53, a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy, who was voted 1994 Officer of the Year, was arrested and indicted with 15 counts of sexual abuse of an adolescent. These incidents took place while Plozke was off-duty.

Plozke was booked in jail but was later let go on his own recognizance. Plozke is currently enjoying paid administrative leave while the case is being resolved (Oregonian, July 20).

Washington County Deputies shot 57 year old William John Phillips to death after he allegedly ran out of his apartment with a shotgun. No one else was injured despite an atmosphere that neighbors claim "sounded like a war zone."

There were as many as 15 members of the county's tactical negotiations team, 10 uniformed deputies, and five hostage negotiators called to respond to the dispatch "that a despondent man was in his apartment with other people and at least one gun." It is not known whether he was holding people against their will.

It is reported that Phillips allegedly shot first and police responded. Currently the Washington County District Attorney's Office is investigating to determine how many shots were fired, how many shots hit Phillips, and whether the shooting was justified (Oregonian, April 16).

August, 1999
Also in PPR #18

Portland Copwatch
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065/ Incident Report Line (503) 321-5120
e-mail: copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.

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