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Updates PPR #93 Setpember 2024

Portland Police quietly published the 2023 annual report about traffic and pedestrian stops on June 20. The good news: the Bureau stopped using what Portland Copwatch has called "statistical gymnastics," where the report claimed the reason Focused Intervention Team (FIT, and previous other iterations of the Gang Enforcement Team) stopped Black people so often is due to the high crime rate. The bad news: the 2023 FIT number is 42% in a city with a 6% Black population. Oddly, the FIT rate was listed as 44% in 2022 (PPR #90), but that was adjusted down to 37% in the new report. For all officers conducting general patrol duties, the rate is 22%, nearly four times the population, but it's not considered over-policing because the PPB's benchmark is crash data. Those data used to show 11% of crashes involved Black Portlanders, but now that number has somehow gone up to 17%. By that yardstick, the Traffic officers are underpolicing Black drivers, who they stop at a rate of 13%.

Black people were again more likely to be asked to submit to a consent search. The numbers last year were 2.2% of stops vs. 1.4% for white drivers, this year it's 0.9% vs 0.4%, meaning fewer searches were conducted. However, this means Black drivers went from being 1.6 times more likely to be asked for a search to 2.3 times. Last year, consent searches turned up contraband 60% of the time, which dropped to 53% in 2023; compared to searches relying on warrants these are poor "hit rates." Warrant searches turned up unlawful items in 79% of cases in 2022 but 94% in 2023. The report continues to include a rambling (nine page) excuse for the racial disparity, that lots of people who are Black drive into Portland on a daily basis. There is no analysis of where people who were stopped actually live, or how the disparities could be so huge without an influx of 89,000 Black people per day (PPR #89).
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Leaderless Statewide Commission Slows Down, Surveys Public

There is nothing substantial to report about the Commission on Statewide Law Enforcement Standards of Conduct and Discipline (LESC), as their last meeting was held in February (PPR #92). The Executive Director position remains vacant since the re-retirement of Fred Boss last summer. In June, Commission Chair Michael Slauson sent the Commission's annual survey to a short list of people who have expressed interest in their work.

This appears to be an off year for the Commission. According to state statute, they only need to review the standards once every two years.

The 2024 survey contained the same two questions as last year's survey. They asked for recommendations on how the Commission should update (1) the uniform standards of conduct and (2) the uniform standards of discipline. Presumably, the former asks for suggestions on additional types of misconduct and the latter asks for suggestions on the discipline to apply to those actions. In reality, the two are intertwined and the survey provides no additional space to provide input on the general makeup of the Commission, which is made up of mostly law enforcement adjacent individuals. Portland Copwatch revised its 2023 comments and sent them back in.

The commission staff person was unable to provide the next meeting date or whether there are finalists for the Executive Director position. Survey results will appear in the annual report the Commission is required to submit to the House Committee on Judiciary, likely in September.

This Commission has received little attention from the public, so ideally, more folks will tune in to remind them that the voices of those who are recipients of law enforcement services need to be taken seriously.

Email <ORLawEnfCommission@doj.oregon.gov> to be added to the list of people who are notified about meetings and other Commission business.
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Be Careful What You Say: Body Cameras Hit the Streets

After a pilot project last fall (PPR #91), Portland Police rolled out Body Worn Cameras to Central Precinct in late June, North Precinct a few weeks later, and East Precinct in early August. While officers are supposed to tell people they are being recorded, there is no "Miranda"-type warning required that anything you say can be used against you. Lawyers advise folks not to talk to police. The City said BWCs will be used to hold officers accountable, but they have more guidelines on giving video to the District Attorney to prosecute community members.
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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
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