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
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