Site Navigation

Police Association Fails to Undermine
New Oversight System at Ballot...
But Does Damage in Bargaining

The ACLU represented Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, Jr. who is the chair of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform, in his challenge to the City's ballot title. The PPA's version talked about how their plan would improve accountability. The City modified it to say that their initiative would "change" the authority of the Board. As noted above, Judge Katherine von Ter Stegge ruled on May 23 that there had to be more honesty in advertising, so to speak. The PPA surprisingly did not send out any news releases. On July 24, the Oregonian reported that the PPA never even tried to gather signatures, complaining about the compressed timeline the judge's ruling left for them.

It's likely this was all a ploy to make progress at the bargaining table-- "if you don't give us what we want, we'll change the Charter." The good things in the revised code: the City agreed to assign "Complaint Navigators" to community members making allegations of misconduct from the time they file complaints, rather than having to wait until the system agrees to take their case.* However, they also failed to address a large number of meaningful changes requested by the former PAC, including that they refused to remove language that CBPA members cannot have a bias for or against police (which will undoubtedly lead to excluding well qualified community members who want accountability) and requiring Board members to go on "ride-alongs" with police and attend community police academy.

Regardless of the details, the system is still set up so that a number of community members appointed by City Council (21 in the City's plan, not the 33 the PAC suggested) will make up the Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA). They will hire a Director of the Office of Community-based Police Accountability (OCPA) who will then hire and train staff. So even if the court hearing leads to approval by Judge Simon, there will still be many months before the new system is in place. City Council is supposed to vote on the code package within 21 days of the court approval, as early as September 20.

Pieces of the system that are still unacceptable to community members include that the nominating committee for both Board members and the Director will be made up of 6-7 civilians and three people designated by the Chief, the PPA, and the Portland Police Commanding Officers Association, which represents Lieutenants.

Most of the 19 members who were still part of the PAC when it was formally dissolved in September signed onto both an initial letter to the City pushing back on the new code, and again in a follow up letter sent a few days later. The second letter was necessary because (a) the City did not read all of PAC's concerns into the record or address them properly on July 15 and (b) they admitted, for instance, that the reason they are moving from a system with four possible findings to just two is because Deputy City Attorney Heidi Brown has a "pet peeve" against the current four findings. No legal justification. No 20 months of research and listening to the community. Just a personal grudge.

If this is how the new system will be further guided during its establishment, the community will have to stay awake and mobilized to be sure we don't just end up with a new system that on its face can investigate and discipline officers, but is really being run by the City Attorney.

See the PAC members' letters at <tinyurl.com/PACletter071324> and <tinyurl.com/PACletter072224>.

*- As of July 29, the latest draft says it's for intake "for full investigations," even though a case might be dismissed, sent to a supervisor for informal resolution, or go to mediation.
Back to text.

September, 2024
Also in PPR #93

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.

People's Police Report #93 Table of Contents
Back to Portland Copwatch home page
Peace and Justice Works home page
Back to top