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Rapping Back #4
POPSG's Analysis of Information in the Police Union Monthly Newsletter, The Rap Sheet

Keeping Up With Our Community Police

The lead story in September's Rap Sheet is about a police officer subjected to a drug test during a hospitalization. Roger Morse, then President of the Portland Police Association (PPA), complains that the hospital should have known the PPA's contracted policy with them--which is No Drug Testing of Portland Police. He concludes, warning:

The PPA continues to advise all members to never voluntarily take a drug test. If asked or ordered to take one, immediately call a PPA representative or the PPA attorney, for advice and assistance.

The PPA is in favor of a drug-free workplace, but indi-vidual employee's rights cannot be violated in the process.

We wonder whether officers teaching kids the DARE program mention this policy.

POPSG Receives a Cease and Desist Note from the PPA

After our last issue appeared, we got an interesting note from Will Aitchison, the aforementioned PPA attorney. He notes that POPSG reproduced the PPA's trademarked logo.

Because of the fledgling nature of "The People's Police Report," and the factual accuracy of the articles in the publication, he writes, the PPA is willing to assume that the use of the logo was an inadvertant error.

Aitchison then says the PPA will take the appropriate civil legal action to protect the logo if we use it again. Fair use provisions of the copyright law allow reproduction for criticism, and consider potential financial gain by the user or loss by the owner. Since we distibute 90% of these newsletters for free, and are clearly using the Rap Sheet header to indicate criticism of the paper, we feel within our rights. But we apologize if readers were led to believe that any issue of The People's Police Report was endorsed by the PPA.

Third Quarter, 1994
Also in PPR #4

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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