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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2004)
Tim Lewis videotapes an interaction between a Eugene police officer and demonstrators downtown in this EW file photo. Community Policing Is there public recourse against questionable police conduct? 5 By Bobbie Willis W hen community concern rises over the conduct of local law enforcement, as it has in Eugene the last few years, it’s time to scrutinize more closely the resources avail- able for citizens to express that concern and to search for accountability and resolution. One option is through the Eugene Police Commission, a 12-member citizen body cre- ated by City Ordinance 20136 in December 1998, spurred on by (albeit a year and a half after) EPD’s assault on demonstrators in the June 1997 downtown tree-sitting protest. According to its literature, the commis- sion’s mission is “to recommend to the City Council, the city manager, the Police Department, and the people, the resources, preferred policing alternatives, policies and citizens’ responsibilities needed to achieve a safe community.” However, in keeping with the city ordi- nance, the commission doesn’t undertake the review of allegations and inquiries related to the actions of individual police officers. Thus, the commission provides no real, direct recourse in instances such as alleged sexual coercion cases against former officers Juan Lara and Roger Magaña. Commission member Floyd Prozanski says, “Those alle- gations have not entered into any substantive discussions concerning current policies. The commission did receive a general report con- cerning the two situations, but it was only informational. I acknowledged the depart- ment’s thorough investigation and its deci- sive handling of both cases.” Prozanski also says the cases have not affected the commis- sion’s recommended policies. “The commis- sion is spending time looking at the depart- ment’s policies regarding conduct to make sure that community standards are covered in the policies.” Commission member Bonny Bettman adds, “The EPD has a Code of Conduct Policy [that] is being reviewed this year. Tradition and BEYOND ... THE WORLD FAMOUS There are performance standards that are a subset of [this policy] — the PC is review- ing them, too … These policies cover stan- dards of conduct and behavior. One of [these] cases … was a conviction for an abuse of power for the purpose of sexual harassment, exploitation and victimization. These crimes are even more devastating because the victims are people the officer was sworn and entrusted to protect. That is severe criminal behavior and goes beyond anything the policies address.” This speaks to the limitations on the Police Commission to effect direct change within the system. Other limitations result from commission members being nominated by the mayor and appointed by the City Council — chances of anyone too far outside the fray gaining a nod from Mayor Torrey are slim. The obvious glitch is the commission advising EPD and other related city officials consists of members nominated and approved by those city officials. These limitations have real repercussions in the community. Majeska Seese-Green, president of the Whiteaker Community Council (WCC) and acting chair of the WCC’s Police Issues Committee, has become increasingly involved with policing issues in Eugene — Whiteaker has been caught in some of the higher profile policing situations, such as the October 2002 early morning SWAT raid on a residential dwelling. Regarding the commission’s work following the SWAT raid, she says, “I’ve learned the Police Commission has a very constricted purpose. I’m disappointed when it narrows the scope of its work even further, as it did on the SWAT issue. (Granted, their committee has done major hard work on that one — but with a very narrow focus.)” Outside the mainstream, there are more independent ways to take action: CopWatch is a community organization that encourages people to watch the cops rather than fear one another. CopWatch utilizes video and Internet technology to document and distrib- ute incidents of police misconduct. Tim Lewis of Eugene CopWatch gets straight to the point on forums for public concern: “It’s all bullshit — the Police Commission, the Human Rights Commission — it’s all put up for the public to be stuck in process. … The ideal situation is for people to get to know their neighbors and to rely on each other instead of dialing 911 any time they see a freak on the street.” Lewis emphasizes that the CopWatch web- site (www.eugenecopwatch.org) has all the tools — fliers, contact information, news sto- ries — people need to begin monitoring and documenting police conduct themselves. “It’s finding your own courage, about stand- ing on the street and watching when a cop pulls someone over and making sure that everything goes OK.” Is there a chance Eugene can create an independent police review committee to evaluate police conduct and to operate sepa- rately from the city infrastructure? Bettman says, “There are only a few ways this can happen, and they are all highly politicized. At any time citizens can initiate a ballot meas- ure. … the City Council could either put it on the ballot or move to study various models adopted by other communities and consider implementing them here. Currently, the political composition of the City Council almost certainly precludes the second two options. That leaves a citizen ballot initiative. If the community feels strongly that an exter- nal review board or process is needed, they have the power to create it, through the ini- tiative process.” WCC’s Seese-Green adds, “There’s no chance — with the current City Council and mayor — that the city will cre- ate an independent review commission, unless the new chief takes the lead in requesting one. That’s unlikely unless the public demands one. Long term, another route is a ballot measure.” It should be noted that a few sources for this story were reluctant to give specific input on how to express concerns over police conduct. But as Prozanski says, “Citizens must be willing to bring policy issues … to the attention of the Police Commission. … if they believe that a specific officer has violat- ed department policy, broken a law or acted unprofessionally, they need to bring these matters to the attention of the department. … Citizen involvement is necessary to ensure that the system works.” Incidentally, the “Commendations & Complaints” page on the EPD website (www.ci.eugene.or.us/police/Int_Affairs/aic. htm) is another way to document police con- duct, though some who have used this sys- tem have received only tepid EPD responses at best. ew UO School of Music Chamber Music Series Juilliard String Quartet For more than 50 years, the JUILLIARD QUARTET has been one of the most recognized chamber music groups of its time. Its honors include four Grammy Awards, membership in the National Academy Recording Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame, and Musician of the Year (1996) from Musical America, to name only a few. Don’t miss an evening of stunning artistry as the Juilliard performs music by Haydn, Beethoven, and Webern. Thursday, Feb. 5 • 8:00 p.m. BEALL CONCERT HALL Tickets $32, $28, $15 at Hult Center (682-5000) or EMU Ticket Office (346-4363). Free Musical Insights with Robert Hurwitz, 7 p.m. 12 JANUARY 29, 2004
