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THREAD: Nearly 2 months later, #PDX's Independent Police Review is still investigating this @PortlandPolice SUV video. IPR normally doesn't talk about investigations mid-process, but @MilaMimica1 & I have been bugging them. So here's what director Ross Caldwell was willing to say https://twitter.com/Maggie_Vespa/status/1268088073776062467
Caldwell added some of these investigations are taking longer than normal. Their staff (roughly 15 ppl) has been inundated with "years' worth" of work -- thousands of calls which have boiled down to 75+ active investigations into @PortlandPolice officers & counting.
#PDX's Independent Police Review director also wanted ppl to brace themselves because, he said, they likely will never learn the results of most of these @PortlandPolice misconduct investigations. The "vast majority" are never made public, he said. There are multiple reasons.
The first? State statutes (Caldwell highlighted 2) that say police discipline records don't have to be released under public records laws, except for in certain cases, including when "the public interest requires disclosure".
https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/192.345
https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/181A.830
https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/192.345 https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/181A.830
Caldwell said that phrase has been legally interpreted different ways & is often thwarted by the #PDX Police Assn contract. It says discipline of a @PortlandPolice officer "shall be done in a manner ... least likely to embarrass the officer before other officers or the public."
The Portland Police Association declined to comment on our story, as did @tedwheeler's office. @PortlandPolice never got back to us.
Here's the PPA labor agreement, which was just extended for another year. That discipline clause is Article 20.2
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bhr/article/10857
Here's the PPA labor agreement, which was just extended for another year. That discipline clause is Article 20.2
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bhr/article/10857
To be clear, these barriers do not apply to officers who are fired for cause bc of their misconduct. In those cases, their names & info tied to their firing go into a newly public state database, while officials weigh stripping them of their certification: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/database-of-oregon-police-misconduct-up-and-running/283-0892b395-94a5-4244-85f1-8c8f7f21414a
That said, #PDX's Independent Police Review director Ross Caldwell believes more records tied to @PortlandPolice discipline should be available to the public.
Here's the point he really wanted to make during our interview.
Here's the point he really wanted to make during our interview.
