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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2016)
Street Roots • Oct. 14-20, 2016 Contract fiasco a cautionary tale for camera policy nveiled only a few weeks ago, the new There’s been a considerable amount of Portland police union contract was confusion around the relationship between the lambasted almost immediately for its police union contract and the proposed camera secret negotiations and shortcomings - loudly policy. - The two came out in tandem, tethered by right up until the City Council’s 3-1 vote to ratify a tentative agreement between the city and the it on Oct. 12. police union to negotiate the camera policy. That draft policy says police officers may While the City Council was able to keep the review video of an incident before writing a protests against the contract outside of the report, with the exception of those incidents council chambers - the commissioners moved involving deadly use-of-force or in-custody death. into another room to cast their votes with only a And if they did so, they are entitled to watch the televised audience - it could not keep the video again before being investigated, if the case demostrations, anger and disgust out of the public eye. All across the comes to that Advocates for police reform and accountability news and social media, the have maintained that cameras should be a tool scenes played out, arrests for transparency and truth, not to advantage one were made, protesters side over the other. were pepper-sprayed. In that vein, we agree with a proposal from That’s a lousy way to conduct business, City Commissioner Steve Novick that the specifically around a police department under a viewing privileges apply to all, not just officers. federal agreement to reform its actions when Otherwise, you give officers an advantage. engaging with the public, notably with people of If one can view it and one cannot, than one color and those dealing with a mental illness. will look more credible, even if there is no intent The ACLU of Oregon, The Mental Health Association of Portland, the City Auditor and the to decieve, he said. Novick, who cited funding concerns for the head of the Independent Police Review all spoke increased salaries, was the lone dissenting vote out against the contract on the contract. So did the people, whose response was The ACLU echoes the camera concern: “Just answered by dozens of officers in riot gear. It as police do not show video evidence to other was a total breakdown in the relationship between City Hall and the police, and the people subjects or witnesses before taking their statements, officers should be required to first they serve. make statements based on memory,” the ACLU The expendiency - negotiated a full eight said in a statement months before it even expires - was credited to The public has as much stake in the policy as the urgency of raising compensation for officers the police. One could argue even more. to correct a staffing crisis. Indeed, the bureau is : Irì thè wake of the coiltract negotiation fiasco; ' looking at 90 vacanciesby the end Of this questions, doubts and distrust are in the streets. month. That doesn’t explain the process that There are calls to investigate violations of public transpired. meeting requirements, and questions around Was it worth it? Did it have to be this way? It whether the viewing by officers is a mandatory may be expedient for an outgoing mayor, free to bargaining item that would give the police union burn through his political capital, but what of final say on the policy. It’s difficult to know what the officers? What does this do for the relationship between the public and the men and to believe. The previous round of public meetings on the women in uniform who are out there on the camera policy, hosted by the police, were many front lines? How much of a setback will this months ago. Stakeholder meetings around the process have on the progress made on our policy, as the mayor has promised, can’t wait - streets? and they need to be plentiful and reach deep While the contract with the Portland Police into our community. It takes work to engage, Association is one for the record books, at least from all sides - and yes, it’s worth it. until 2020, the city’s policy around body-worn Let’s not make the same mistake again. cameras is not Mayor Charlie Hales promises That’s a statement not under threat of the process will engage stakeholders in an open protest, but under threat dialogue over time and due of failure. diligence. Given this past week, we need more than promises. H rniTHRiiï Page 3 Editorial Write in If you would like to *iave something that you've w'itten published ■ our pages orwouid like to get involved as a member ol our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author's name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St Portland, OR 97209 503 228-5657 | Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Advertising Interested in advertising in Street Roots? ContactlsraelBayeratisrael@streetroots.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joahne@streetroots.org Vendor Program Director Cole Merkel *• 'cole@streetrpots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Development Director Sarah Cloud Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke | Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Marcus Swift . Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Dan Jones Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Tom Wright, Judy Taylor, Karen Allen, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe; Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Hilary Smith; Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce and Faye Powell. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call our volunteer coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657;
