Police accountability is an issue that I have a long-standing interest in. As an advocate for those experiencing homelessness, I have had both good and bad experiences with the police and laws they are required to enforce. Most of my interactions with police have been positive and most police chiefs - from Tom Potter to Rosie Sizer - have been people I've known and respected.
As a minister in the United Church of Christ, however, I've witnessed the Portland Police Bureau decline in recent years. The Bureau has become more defensive, the leadership more isolated, and the union a true obstacle to progress in a city ripped apart by a series of police shootings and scandals that, sadly, reflect on all police when we know the reality is that most officers are good and decent public servants.
My frustrations with our broken system today in Portland have only grown since I helped to preside at the memorial for James Chasse, a mentally-ill Portlander killed by the police for no reason in 2006.
That's why I told The Portland Mercury this week that I'm happy to support a series of legislative proposals put forward by state Rep. Lew Fredrick that would bring about systemic changes in the ways Oregonians interact with police and in the process build trust and bring real accountability.
Rep. Fredrick explains his proposals this way:
I am working on four bills relating to public safety. The first calls for an immediate investigation when police officers are involved in an incident resulting in death or serious injury. These investigations would be conducted by an agency outside the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred, and would include testing for controlled substances, including steroids. The second would add the term “reasonable” to the definition of justification for use of lethal or potentially lethal force. The third supports upgrading training, particularly as it relates to encounters with people whose behavior is affected by disability.
The fourth one relates to community policing. It is important that our public safety officers are respected, and respectful, members of our community, not seen as an outside security force that patrols our streets. This bill calls for increased scrutiny of disparities in treatment of citizens during stops and arrests based on immutable characteristics such as race and ethnicity. It also calls for tracking the amount of time an officer spends participating in the community outside of his duties in law-enforcement. Finally, in order to promote more effective recruitment and retention of minorities in public safety, the bill calls for targeted recruitment strategies. We need to make sure that any of us can feel safe, either on the streets of our cities or as a member of our police force.
These proposals put forth by Rep. Fredrick are complementary of proposals that I support that have been put forth by the Albina Ministerial Alliance, which call for:
- A federal investigation by the Justice Department to include criminal and civil rights violations, as well as a federal audit of patterns and practices of the Portland Police Bureau.
- Strengthening the Independent Police Review Division and the Citizen Review Committee with the goal of adding power to compel testimony.
- A full review of the Bureau's excessive force and deadly force policies and training with diverse citizen participation for the purpose of making recommendations to change policies and training.
- The Oregon State Legislature narrowing the language of the State statute for deadly force used by police officers.
- Establishing a special prosecutor for police excessive force and deadly force cases.
The debate over police accountability has turned increasing nasty in recent years. Sadly, most of the blame for this rests squarely with the Portland Police Association, the union, which consistently puts the personal interests of officers ahead of the common good.
Like many, I've also had some concerns about new Portland Chief Mike Reese. Despite those concerns, I'm hopeful that he'll be a successful police chief who can help us overcome the problems we face today in Portland. That's why I wrote Chief Reese in early January and asked if we could meet sometime in the near future for coffee to talk about how some of these issues can be resolved. I'll continue, of course, to press for the same goals as my colleagues in the Albina Ministerial Alliance. I hope Chief Reese will accept my invitation as I want him to succeed in his work.
In the meantime, I hope that the bills introduced by Rep. Fredrick are heard, debated, and eventually adopted as law in Oregon.
