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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Crime A Tale of Two Cities: Portland's Police Department Complies with DOJ as Seattle Balks

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 2:09 PM

Since last June, the Portland Police Bureau has been under investigation by the Department of Justice for "a pattern or practice of excessive force," particularly against people living with mental illness. Sound familiar? This next part won't.

Unlike here in Seattle, the DOJ has yet to report its findings Portland cops' use of force. Despite that, yesterday the Portland bureau announced that its changing how officers respond to and process use-of-force cases.

From The Portland Mercury:

Starting January 15, a police sergeant will show up and immediately interview the officer(s) involved and any witnesses, and take photos. And then the sergeant will write an "after-action" report that includes a recommendation on whether the cop who used force did so according to the bureau's rules. Under current procedures, only the officer who uses force will write an immediate report, with a sergeant reviewing that document later.

The Mercury is quick to point out that there's no guarantee this will be an effective solution to Portland's (real or perceived) use-of-force problem, and Portland's cop union is already gearing up to challenge the changes (as is the case here in Seattle). But it's refreshing to see a department jumping to address the problem instead of following Seattle's example and questioning the validity of the DOJ's findings (although, to be fair, following a little pitchfork prompting, Seattle's Chief Diaz says he's now committed to reforming SPD).

Comments (2) RSS

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Portland is boring. What a boring post

Posted by unbelieveable on January 4, 2012 at 2:38 PM

Kinda funny how most people still say "Im still glad I voted for McGinn", when all he's done is obstruct. From tunnels, to bridges to DOJ findings. Mayor really doesnt care at all, he just wants light rail and more bike lanes.

Posted by Kinison