Page 2 Portland Observer, September 8,1962
Sheetrocking workshop set
Jordan, Peters debate police review
trust generated by this secrecy w ill
erode the foundations o f Portland’ s
liveability.”
Stating that the proposal com m it
tee is “ unique to Portland,” Jordan
said, “ in the traditional Portland
style we have created a committee
which provides the proper means to
protect the citizen’s right to know
and the officer’s right to fairness.”
The committee, he said, is just
“ the next logical step demanded by
recent events to restore trust and
confidence in the Bureau o f Police
and it ’s bound to save us m oney."
This year the city faced over $60
m illion in suits charging police mis
conduct and has paid $183,000 in
settlements o f some o f these suits.
Jordan expects the committee to re
duce police misconduct and there
fore save money.
STAN PETERS
Jordan charged Peters and the
Commissioner Charles Jordan
Portland Police Association with
and Stan Peters, president o f the
threatening not to do their jo b if the
Portland Police Association, de
committee is adopted, telling the cit
bated the merits o f Bailor Measure
izens that “ this citizen committee
51 — the “ police audit committee,”
w ill make a tough jo b tougher.”
before the City Club on Friday.
M r. Peters said that i f it is
Jordan, who fired the first shot,
implemented officers w ill not en
asked, “ Why is the leadership o f the
gage in self-initiated arrest activ
police association making such a big
ities. What he is saying, basically, is
deal about the participation o f citi
that the police w ill not do their jobs
zens in the complaint process?. . .
if citizens have an opportunity to
“ W hat’s so special about the po
look over their shoulders.
lice profession that the standards
“ That’ s an interesting thing fo r a
that apply to other professionals
professional to say. I would think a
should not apply to them as
professional in that circumstance
w ell?. . . Why should the police be
would try harder to do a better job
any different (from other profes
— a professional would want the
sionals)?”
public to see that the work gets done
Jordan said that the fact tha:
in a professional manner. I f the po
Portland is always judged among
lice, however, are less professional
the most liveable cities is the result
than they say they are, then
o f its “ unique, nationally recog
Portland should take such a threat
nized relationship between the peo
as a dangerous a ffront. It is an a tti
ple, their city and their government.
tude that represents danger, not
I think it is a rare sense o f team spir
only to the profession, but to the
it, a trust enjoyed between the citi
city and its citizens.”
zens and their com m unity. . . Port
Saying the issue is one o f trust,
land’s livability is the natural result
Jordan said the best weapon the Po
o f city government working respon
lice Bureau can have in its arsenal to
sibly with and enjoying the trust o f
fight crime is public trust.
the people.”
Stan Peters said the Police Asso
He explained that police miscon
ciation is not opposed to citizen in
duct resulted in demands by the
volvement but “ most certainly is
public for citizen involvement in the
opposed to Ballot Measure 51.” It
complaint process and that these de
imposes a bureaucracy that w ill like
mands have been denied by the Po
ly be expensive and is composed o f
lice Bureau.
C ity Council members with sub
“ Ia m truly concerned that police
poena power that compels the atten
misconduct and refusal to involve
dance o f police and citizens alike
citizens discredit the trust and re
and compels the production o f doc
spect this community has had from
uments and evidence.
the people o f Portland. When we
“ In a criminal matter this would
tell the concerned citizens you don’ t
be devastating to a police investiga
have a right to know what is hap
tion. It is a politicization that could
pening in any part o f their city, as
lead to a deterioration o f police-
the Police Bureau is telling them
community relations in Portland.”
now, I think we are driving a wedge
The first objection is the composi
between them and their govern
tion o f the “ review board,” which is
ment. M y fear is that the breach o f
to be composed o f three members o f
the City Council who voted to estab
lish the board. Reviewing police re
view boards across the country,
“ one message speaks loud and
clear: the more politicized the police
review board, the less likely it is to
have any effect at all, the more like
ly it is to harm police-community
relations.
When speaking to functionaries
from other cities, “ they were
amazed, even those in favor o f re
view boards, that the members o f
the City Council itself would actual
ly sit on the board. Such a system
wouldn't work because the worst
kind o f a review board is the kind
that would turn the Police Bureau
into a political football.”
Peters also objects to the fact that
having three City Commissioners on
the board subjects it to the Oregon
Open Meetings law and provides no
protection for the officer or the citi
zen complainant.
“ Any police officer wrongfully
accused o f wrong-doing at the whim
o f the three commissioners can find
themselves, their addresses and pic
tures. on the front page o f the local
paper next day. Once accused in this
fashion, can one ever dispell the ac
cusation completely and one’s fam
ily and children be protected from
false allegations resulting from pub
licity? O f course i t ’s a two-way
street as well. The police officer may
well be guilty o f some misconduct in
making an arrest, the arrested per
son complains and the officer is dis
ciplined by the Bureau. Under Mea
sure 51, he or she would have a right
to appeal to the review board
against the discipline imposed and
demand that the review board con
duct its meetings in p u blic. . . .
W ouldn’t this discourage the filing
o f legitimate internal affairs com
plaints if the complainant knew the
Oregonian would publish the fact
that they were arrested fo r drunk
driving, soliciting prostitution, tra f
ficking in drugs or any other charge
they may be arrested for i f the police
officer appealed the case to the
board?
Another reason fo r PPA opposi
tion is cost, Peters explained. The
ordinance makes no provision for
investigators which Peters called
“ an absolute necessity.”
They feed on increased authority
and increased budgets,” he said o f
Police Review Boards. Though
boards start as advisory with low
cost budgets, “ they have repeatedly
requested both more authority and
funding.” Only on- sentence in
Measure 51 prevents the committee
from issuing discipline, he said,
warning that the three commission
ers in the committee could “ with
The Eliot Energy House w ill
sponsor a hands-on home sheet-
rocking workshop on Saturday,
September 11, at 10 AM . The w ork
shop w ill he held at the Eliot Energy
House, 3116 N. Williams Avenue.
Participants w ill be asked to pay
$5.00 or donate four hours o f skill
polishing labor to the non-profit
Eliot project.
Come by, learn some handy car
pentry skills, work with neighbors,
and see the house which serves as
Portland's most unique model of
urban energy efficiency.
Call the Eliot Energy House for
more inform ation (284-7868).
Beautiful * Relaxing * Durable
Portable
THE NORTHWEST’S
#1 ENERGY EFFICIENT
WOOO’N GLASS SPA
As Featured In
The Street of Dreams
by HQ Construction
The Sonoma makes
daily tubbing affordable
CHARLES JORDAN
one stroke o f the pen” give them
selves that authority.
Citizens currently can register
complaints through the internal a f
fairs division, the Chief o f Police,
the City Council, the C ity Attorney,
the District Attorney, the FBI or the
local courts. Regarding the idea that
there needs to be a window into the
Police Bureau, Peters said, “ There
are adequate ways o f m onitoring the
internal affairs process without add
ing another larger bureaucracy to
the city.”
This committee "sim ply cannot
w ork,” according to Peters. I f the
committee sustains the Bureau’s
findings in a complaint it w ill be
seen as a rubber stamp. I f the com
mittee disagrees with the police bur
eau decision and imposes greater
discipline on the police officer the
Portland Police Association w ill
have to request arbitration and the
expense that involves; reversal o f
the police bureau discipline would
involve a complain, based on d iffe r
ing treatment for different officers.
I f the chief ignored the board it
would become frustrated and seek
more authority.
“ Under the ordinance as written,
we do no, know jus, wha, the pow
ers are or wha, they may be. Even
the proponents o f Measure 51 make
conflicting statements about just
how the board w ill operate.”
TRY
TU E StK S jW LVIK ITlì B
11858 SW PACIFIC HWY.
TIQARD
OPCN Taaa
Sal
10 00 am 1 00 pm
639-9889
TROPHY
HEADQUARTERS
FOR THE
GREAT NORTHWEST
w
BEST QUALITY
BEST SERVICE
BEST PRICE
304 S.W. 3rd Ave Portland, Oregon 97204
222-1051
See
Garfield M yer, for fast
Engraving
BRAND O F ___
Chateaubriand
JAMES DAVIS, educational director of the Portlend Audubon So
ciety, visits with Owen the Bern Owl, e permanent resident of the
Audubon Rehebllitatlon Center for Injured wildlife. Devls will teech
a four-pert class In Birdwatching at Portland Community College
during the fall term.
■ eaeeeee
1 Buying Cars Running Or Not •
ROCKET AUT0\
good used motors
D O M E S T IC
&
&
s
parts «
F O R E IG N
WE BUY CARS
■
2
9200 NE Halsey - Phone 255-6310»
ROCKET TOWING CO. I
We T o w 24 Hrs. - 9200 NE Halsey - 253-111 I J
C a rs rem oved from p riv a te p ro p e rty a t o w n e r’ s e x p e n s e #
•ne«
1
James Davis, educational coordi
nator for the Portland Audubon So
ciety, w ill teach an introductory lev
el birdwatching class at Portland
Community
College’s Sylvania
Campus this fall.
Birding, the more contemporary
term for birdwatching, has grown in
popularity in the United States since
the 1940s, according to Davis. “ The
environment decade o f the 1970s
saw the most grow th,” he says. Be
sides the growing interest in nature
during that time, better books and
improved binoculars helped foster
the boom.
“ Birding is a very good way for
people to become aware o f their
natural w orld,” says Davis. Birds
are easier to observe than other ani
mal life because they are out during
daytime hours, fairly conspicuous
and easy to tell apart.
“ Casually birding in a good area,
a beginner should see 30 to 40 varie
ties o f birds in a day,” according to
Davis. “ A t the coast on a big day I
once saw 125 species. That’s toward
the upper lim it,” he notes.
Davis’s class w ill begin Wednes
day, September 29 and runs four
weekly sessions from 7-9 p.m. T ui
tion is $30. Four Saturday field trips
conducted as part o f the class will
include visits to Sauvies Island,
Oaks Bottom, Crystal Springs and
the Oregon Coast.
O f the all-day trip to the coast,
says Davis, “ The Oregon Coast in
the fall is the most exciting place
around for birding.”
Anyone who enjoys birds and
wants to learn more about them is
encouraged to register for Bird
watching through PCC Community
Services.
TAKE A THICK. WELL MARBLED FILET OF USDA PRIME TOP SIRLOIN SEAR IT
BRIEFLY TO SEAL IN THE JUICES. ROAST IT SLOWLY. SLICE INTO THIN
FILETS. THEN SERVE SIZZLING WITH A RICH BORDELAISE SAUCE INCLUDE
FRESH BUTTER, SAUTEED VEGETABLES. A PLUMP BAKER WITH SOUR
CREAM, CHIVES. BUTTER. AND CRACKED BACON
V O ,L A . . .
G E O R G IO ’S HAS DONE <T AG A IN ...
I 1.95
PER PERSON
230-1212
832 SE GRAND
E END MORRISON BR
S h a ft /m l
JŸ j / ij