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Racial Profiling: And the beat goes on Racial profiling figures through June 30 show that Portland Police continue to stop African American motorists at more than twice the rate of white motorists, with the greatest disparity occurring on the city's west side where African Americans were five times more likely to be stopped than whites. In East Precinct, African Americans were 1.6 times more likely to be stopped than whites. These figures are similar to information released in April 2001 (see PPR #24). The next report will include data collected by motorcycle officers, who are involved in about half of all traffic stops, as well as foot patrol, bicycle, and mounted patrol officers. Said Chief Kroeker, "I would propose that we keep an open mind about what this data really means" (Oregonian, August 31).
Taken to task in Tigard Three African American men have filed civil rights lawsuits against the Tigard police department in two years. The latest was Jimmy Brown, a Multnomah County justice department program manager. Brown, who had stopped and gotten out of his car for a cigarette, was approached by Officer William Napieralski. Napieralski said he "saw a car coming...and the car's brake lights were tapped several times...I was suspicious that the driver was DUII" (Oregonian, August 29). When asked to take a sobriety test, Brown "was upset by the insinuation that he was under the influence." Napieralski claims he called for backup because he feared for his safety. Brown was allowed to drive himself home about two hours after the initial stop. An internal police investigation concluded, "a credible argument could be made to support Brown's sense that the police contact was not professional and was done by police to exert their authority [but] that there was no evidence to support the contention that the contact was racially motivated." The case is set to go to trial in June 2002. Altered and amended The Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) was active in Salem during the 2001 legislative session. Among their victories were changes made to HB 2441 (aka, the racial profiling bill). The bill requires law enforcement officers in Oregon to include a driver's race and the disposition of each stop. OCPA lobbyist Brian DeLashmutt objected to the original measure because it "would have placed the officers in the position of self-incrimination by requiring them to collect the information, then allowing it to be used against them" (Rap Sheet, August 2001). By analogy, such wacky logic would mean that corporations could avoid tracking how many pollutants they dump in the river for fear that doing so might incriminate them. HB 2441 was tweaked, amended, and reborn as SB 415 which "encourages jurisdictions to collect data on stops and does not allow the use of the information against the individual officer." In contrast, the Washington state highway patrol is using the racial profiling data it collects "to question and discipline individual troopers whose records suggest racial profiling" (Oregonian, July 1). It seems Oregon has taken a back seat to justice on this issue.
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December, 2001
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#25 Table of Contents
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