Doing the right things

Controversy is becoming a familiar thing for the Portland Police Bureau. A string of high-profile cases involving assault, solicitation, gross insensitivity and mental illness have turned the public eye on the bureau in ways that no one wants to see their law enforcement organization.

However, the city has followed its review processes to the letter. And despite what the media would have you believe, the PPB is not filled with disturbed individuals or uncaring, trigger-happy beat cops; quite the opposite, in fact.

Despite all the sensationalism, Portland has a police bureau to be proud of.

First, the potential reinstatement of disgraced former officer Ron Frashour has weighed heavily on the minds of many in this city. Frashour, who shot and killed Aaron Campbell, an unarmed, suicidal black man, was dismissed following the incident.

However, an independent arbitrator determined that Frashour should be reinstated as an officer. Following the decision, Mayor Sam Adams stated that he would not allow Frashour’s reinstatement, sparking a media frenzy.

Next, Officer Scott Elliott was charged with several counts of corruption of a child, luring a minor and encouraging sex abuse. He was placed on paid administrative leave while the matter was investigated, and he remains in custody with bail set at $500,000. He goes to trial May 22.

After this, it was announced that Captain Mark Kruger was selected to provide leadership training for Portland police staff. It quickly came out that Kruger was disciplined less than two years ago for erecting a memorial in Washington Park to five Nazi-era German soldiers, including one known to have committed war crimes. He denied being a Nazi admirer and, after a brief suspension and a letter apologizing for his off-duty actions, he resumed normal activities.

Finally, the PPB was ordered to pay over $200,000 in damages to Daniel Halsted, whom Officer Benjamin Davidson pursued and repeatedly tased on the assumption that Halsted was responsible for a new splash of graffiti, resulting in facial bone fractures and lacerations to the head and hands. At trial, the defense attorney questioned Halsted about his affinity for kung fu movies, which were used to suggest he was violent.

In the face of such increasingly outlandish incidents, it seems at times that the credibility of the bureau has gone down the drain. However, despite what the media makes of it, the PPB is actually doing well.

Officer Jason Jones has been with the PPB for nearly 13 years. His assignments have included six years on patrol, three years on the Domestic Violence Reduction Unit and two years in personnel. Jones, who has a master’s degree in behavioral science, described the recent cases sparking the media frenzy as uncharacteristic of the bureau.

According to Jones, the process for selecting new police officers is thorough. Not only does the bureau screen for temperament, it looks for prior military, political or educational experience. After passing this initial screening, officers go through roughly a year and a half of probationary status while in training. The whole process takes approximately three years. A lot of care goes into ensuring that these individuals are right for police work.

This makes perfect sense, given that the police are the ones who have to respond to violence. Despite the fact that police can face violent encounters, Jones reported that less than a quarter of a percent of calls involve the use of force.

“We’re in a field of dealing with human beings and human misery,” Jones said. “Human behavior doesn’t fit a bell curve.”

In response to an incident involving an officer that goes beyond a normal call, Jones said there are different levels of review that must be performed to determine if the officer acted in line with bureau policies.

For example, an officer-involved shooting would certainly warrant an investigation. First would be a criminal review, wherein detectives on the homicide detail investigate, collecting evidence and interviews to present to a grand jury.

If the grand jury clears the officer, an internal affairs review occurs. This independent police review looks to see if there was a violation of policies in the officer’s conduct.

A training division review checks to see if the officer followed the outlined protocol for a situation, and the Use of Force Review Board—two civilians, two peers, the Independent Police Review director, the assistant chief of police, an independent moderator and other stakeholders—determine whether the officer acted within the outlined policy.

After all this, the information is aggregated and presented to a board, and a recommendation is given to the chief of police. If the officer has acted outside of policy, he can be disciplined (up to and including termination), at which point the officer can file a grievance if he wishes.

The multiple review system is set up to ensure that officers are neither wrongfully dismissed nor wrongfully cleared, and it helps to prevent public pressure from affecting the officer’s case.

“At this point, we’re held to higher scrutiny than ever before,” Jones said. But this scrutiny can be a good thing. It can trigger audits and reexaminations of policies and procedures. “Our policies can be changed to reflect the values of the community, and we hold ourselves to very high standards.”

So while there are a number of controversies facing the PPB right now, they are being handled appropriately. Crime statistics are actually lower here than in cities of comparable size, and community engagement is high. And although he cannot speak for the entire force, Jones points out that the officers he works with simply want to help people and do the right thing.

The media may paint an unflattering picture, and, at times, perhaps there is truth to what they say, but most of what they show is the negative. Pay a little more attention and you might notice the stories about everyday rescues, kindnesses and peaceful resolutions performed by the PPB.

We have a police force to be proud of.