Eugene weekly., January 29, 2004, Page 10, Image 10

Sexual Assault Support
Services (SASS) Director
Jean Blanchard says she
believes the EPD ‘has
fostered a climate that
allows this to happen.’
Betrayal
How will the EPD win
back women’s trust?
5By Aria Seligmann
T
he Eugene Police Department is under
scrutiny for hiring police officers who are
now accused of sexually abusing women.
Roger Eugene Magaña is currently being
held at Lane County Jail on $4.2 million bail,
and has pled not guilty to a 51-count indict-
ment on alleged sexual abuse and rape
charges. Juan Francisco Lara has been con-
victed on 10 charges and is accused of forc-
ing seven women to perform sex acts, using
the police database to uncover victim infor-
mation and promising to make criminal
charges against another woman “go away” in
return for sexual favors.
Not only is a criminal investigation of the
ex-police officers under way, but community
workers, researchers and politicians are look-
ing closely at the internal dynamics of the
EPD that allowed such activity to occur.
No one at the EPD will discuss either
case because of gag orders issued by Lane
County Circuit Court Judge Jack Billings for
the Lara case, and by Lane County Circuit
Court Judge Karsten Rasmussen in the
Magaña case. Meanwhile, new Police Chief
Robert Lehner is “not available” for even
brief comment until Feb. 9.
That leaves questions unanswered and the
public curious about just what the EPD plans
to do to win back the public trust.
EPD Public Information Director Pamela
Olshanski says many in the police depart-
ment “would love to speak on this, because
they’ve all been painted with the same broad
brush.”
Yet no one at the EPD has requested the
gag order be lifted.
Others, she says, “want to be thoughtful
about what they say because they don’t want
it interfering with prosecution of the cases.”
Meanwhile, community leaders hope the
EPD will look hard at what led to the alleged
abuses.
10 JANUARY 29, 2004
Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS)
Director Jean Blanchard says she believes
the EPD “has fostered a climate that allows
this to happen.” Because SASS does advoca-
cy for survivors who sometimes choose to
report to police, she says, “We have been
aware of some of the stereotypes of women
survivors that are held by police officers.
One I have personally observed is a basic
distrust of victims’ stories.”
Questions often asked of survivors “real-
ly suggest that they may be lying and in my
personal experience with other types of
crimes that’s rarely an assumption an officer
has,” says Blanchard.
Center for Women in Society interest group
on violence against women, says such
actions by police officers “break any sense of
trust women might have.”
With many Eugene women now fearing
the police, some are wondering how a
woman should deal with a police officer who
approaches her.
“I think women need to be very cautious.
Because that’s the approach we need to take
when our trust has been betrayed,” says
Blanchard, adding, “I would be very reluc-
tant to stop my car at night when a police
officer has their lights on at this point in time.
My sense of trust in the police system is at a
new chief is “committed to looking internal-
ly at what can be made better.” While
Olshanski says no one can speak for the
chief, “He recognizes that any action at this
level has a significant breach of community
trust and the goals are to look at what in the
system allowed this to happen and how to
improve it.”
An overhaul of the system shouldn’t
include “making changes for the sake of
making changes,” says Olshanski, but there
should “certainly be forums, as well as a
Police Commission and public hearing.”
Nathanson says she will advocate for the
Police Commission to have the opportunity
to review the hiring process and systems that
are in place “to ensure when we’re recruiting
and choosing officers we’re selecting based
on skills and abilities but also on back-
grounds and other factors to make sure
they’re going to fit into the high standards for
Eugene and the entire community.”
Another component Nathanson says she
would like to see addressed is “What kinds
of values are being imparted during the train-
ing process?” To uncover that answer,
Nathanson says, “The Police Commission
will be involved.”
Mayoral candidate Kitty Piercy says
“Certainly, the Eugene police force and the
entire community found the exploitive illegal
behavior of these two officers appalling. I
‘I hope the department will look for public ways to convey
their commitment to the safety of all women in our
community, especially the most vulnerable — and will
also make clear a safe way that such exploitation can
be reported without fear of reprisal.’ — Kitty Piercy
For instance, she says, rarely does a
police officer say “Prove to me you’ve been
burglarized or on what basis do I believe
your story.” But in her work with survivors,
she says that’s often the case when they are
questioned by certain EPD officers.
Now, with allegations of criminal activity
against two officers in the public eye, there is
a “basic betrayal of trust on the part of the
public and on women in particular,”
Blanchard says. “We’re all taught to respect
police officers, that they are going to protect
us. When they abuse that power and trust it’s
a tremendous sense of betrayal.”
City councilor and mayoral candidate
Nancy Nathanson says, “At any point in time
someone may need to rely on the police for
help right away, and you have to know that
who shows up to help you is coming not only
with a professional demeanor, but also with a
good heart.”
Deborah Olson, UO assistant professor of
special education and a member of the UO
very low level, so I’d drive to a public place
like a 7-11 or something and then stop where
there are others around.”
An even more intimidating situation
occurs when a police officer knocks at the
door. “Only let them in if they have a war-
rant,” says Blanchard. “Just because some-
one is a police officer doesn’t give them enti-
tlement to do things like come into your
house,” without one, she says.
Ultimately, however, Blanchard says put-
ting the onus on women to know how to pro-
tect themselves is the wrong way to look at
the situation, because “it shifts the burden
onto the woman or onto the one being
assaulted to being responsible for actions
that someone else is going to take.”
She says to look at the matter in a differ-
ent way, to ask what the police department
and law enforcement can do to reduce the
likelihood of such attacks occurring.
Naturally, things are feeling pretty raw
over at the police station. Olshanski says the
assume that an internal examination will pro-
duce recommendations to strengthen the
department’s oversight, training and sensitiv-
ity. And, I hope the department will look for
public ways to convey their commitment to
the safety of all women in our community,
especially the most vulnerable — and will
also make clear a safe way that such
exploitation can be reported without fear of
reprisal.”
One such way to look at issues involving
police and the community is to have aca-
demics and community leaders meet to share
research findings and how they might be
applied to working with individuals. Such a
forum, says Olson, occurred last fall, and one
forum is planned for the future, though no
date has yet been set.
Ultimately, according to Olson, the solu-
tion is “putting the burden on the Police
Department to make amends to the commu-
nity for this breach of trust. That’s an impor-
tant aspect.”
ew