PORTLAND OBSERNER
Volum e XVI Number 49
O ctober 15 1986
25C
Former Urban
League Director
All For One
One For All
Doing Well As
Entrepreneur
M o re and m ore police officers and m ore and m o te pills is not the
solution to our ram p an t crim e problem lest w e build enough jails to
lock the good citizens in for p ro tection and let the crim inals roam
our streets free
Even today, m any older citizens are prisoners in
their o w n hom es because they have a justified fear of the public
streets and parks
The present police system does not w o rk and has not w o rk e d for a
long tim e
Today, crim e pays w ell and the crim inal is seldom
brought to trial It s tim e for a change The m ost capable legally
able, cost e ffic ie n t, and tax fair system w o u ld be to d eleg ate the
M u ltn o m a h C ounty S heriff to enforce all C rim inal la w in M u ltn o
mah C ounty
It is tim e the politicians and City bureaucracies put
aside their dream s for bigger and bigger arm ies (police depart
m erits) and support one efficien t police organization that w o u ld
reduce our g ro w in g crim e rato
by Jerry Garner
Freddye J Webb Petett, former
Executive Director of the Urban
League of Portland, is doing well in
the private sector as an entrepre
neur Webb Petett is president of
Freddye Petett it Associates, Inc.
Petett Ft Associates, which is Io
cated at 1001 S W 5th Ave , Suite
1000 in downtown Portland, a ma
nagement consultant firm, has been
in operation since December of
■
Petett Ft Associates provides ser
vices in the following areas: organi­
zational development, staff devel
opment and training, minority af
fairs, and special protests mana
ging Webb Petett said so far the
majority of her clients have been
governmental agencies and non
profit organizations.
Webb Petett was asked if she
was pleased with the direction in
which her business has been pro
grossing
She replied, "At this
point and time, I am very pleased
with the growth of my company
Business has been going very well."
Webb Petett credits her success
as an independent consultant to her
past professional experiences Exe
cutive Director of the Urban League
of Portland. 1979 35; Administrative
Assistant to former mayor Neil
Goldschmidt, 1976 79, Project Di
rector for Nero Ft Associates Con
suiting, 1971 73; and Systems Coor
dinator for Portland Model Cities,
1970-71. "The skills with which I
used to carry out those jobs has
helped me greatly as an indepen
dent consultant "
Besides her professional career,
Webb Petett is active in several
professional and community activi
ties
Currently, she sits on the
boards of The Housing Authority of
Portland; Oregon Museum of Sci
ence Ft Industry. Rogers Cable Sy
stems. Rose Festival Association,
Executive Committee, and Portland
State University Foundation She is
a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority; Portland City Club; Links,
Inc.; and the World Affairs Council.
In recognition of her outstanding
work. Webb Petett has been awar
ded the W K Kellogg Foundation
National Fellowship, 1983 86 Delta
Sigma Theta Woman of Excellence.
1985 March of Dimes White Rose
Award, 1985 100 Most Influential
Women in Oregon. Oregon Maga
zine, 1981; 10 Most Influential
Blacks in Oregon, Willamette Week,
1978
__
Webb Petett said she enjoys be
Delegate the M ultnom ah County Sheriff to enforce all crim i
nal law in M ultnom ah County.
Police departm ents have tried
a num ber of gim m icks to im prove efficiency, m ainly new
names for the same old game of cops and robbers
In 1985
Portland alone had 17,700 crimes of burglery reported w ith
only 900 cases solved. Its time for a real change. 7 he sheriff is
by law the chief law enforcem ent officer in M ultnom ah Coun
ty.
This includes the areas of the co u n ty's six incorporated
cities and all except M ayw ood Park have a police departm ent
The trend at present is to eliminate the sheriff's patrol section
and ignore the fact that the peoples elected sheriff is the chief
law enforcem ent officer in the county and the county < omrnis
sioners w ould contract police patrol of unincorporated M ultno
mah County to Portland, Gresham and Troutdale
This
p lo t''
w ould free m ost o f the sheriff's budget for the county com m is
sioners to spend on other purposes and make the Portland Btr
reaucracy a m ust more pow erful body in all of M ultnom ah
County. The public may be led to believe that the co u n ty's 5
Freddye P e te tt
mg an entrepreneur. "I get a great
deal of satisfaction working for my
Photo by Richard J B row n
city police departm ents w ould work in close harm ony w ith
self, it’s a great opportunity to be
your own boss "
each other and thus apprehend more crim inals and reduce* the
co u n ty's crim e rate but I a retired police officer of 77 ye.ns ex
perience see it another way.
To my know ledge not evert the
F.B.I. and C.l A have a reputation of w orking closely together
and that a ttitu d e filters dow n to the smallest of police depart
ments, it's just the way police departm ents are
Call it one
m an's opinion but if the c ity and co unty com m issioners ignore
the elected sheriff's position as the c o u n ty's chief law enforc,e
ment o ffice and move ahead w ith their plans, M ultnom ah
County w ill be policetl by at least five separate police depart
m ents w ith Portland police big b rother to them all, d o n 't look
for cooperation or efficiency.
Most crimes are solved w ith in
form ation that police officers of the departm ent have in their
heads and notebooks or w hat they hear from other officers in
that departm ent or w hat that departm ent has in its own files
and little or none of that inform ation ever moves to other police
departm ents.
A dditionally, it is not human nature for people to give away
clues they have to w in a "prize” to someone else, and cops
are just people, they w ant the glory for their ow n departm ent
The system o f cities large or small enforcing crim inal law
may have w orked fairly well when fewer crimes were com m it
ted and they were no further away from home than the c riminal
cared to ride his horse, but times have changed, the police
system has grow n more and more im potent and crime pays
quite well. In todays mobil society "Joe C rook” w ho may live
in Gresham can burglarize a home in Portland, fence the loot
in Troutdale, spend the money in Fairview, and be home for
lunch, and it's not likely the four police jurisdictions he op»;
Em anuel Hospital and H ealth C enter, w h ile still o fferin g em ergency
and hospital care to everyone w h o needs it, w ill assist patients in
selecting th e best alternatives for m edical services
Photo by Richard J. Brow n
Emanuel Offers Emergency Alernatives
Emanuel Hospital has begun a
new program of offering alterna
tives to people who come to the
Emergency Department for care.
For those who do not require
emergency care, and are not cove
red by insurance, a deposit will be
asked for At the same time, a bro
or without charge
These clinics
include members of the Coalition of
Community Clinics, and Multnomah
County clinics.
As in the past, everyone who comes
to the Emergency Department will
be seen, and if the patient requires
immediate treatment, the care will
chure describing the alternatives will
be presented to the patient, and one
of the Emergency Department staff
will assist the patient in deciding
The Multnomah County clinics
are open during the day, and offer
a wide range of services The mem
bers of the Coalition of Community
be given, with payment expected if
the patient is covered by insurance.
Medicare, welfare or is able to pay
for the care
which of the alternatives is best for
that patient. The brochure contains
information about health clinics that
provide medical services at low co«f
Health Clinics offer both day and
evening hours. The telephone num­
bers of all of the clinics are listed
in the brochure for the convenience
>
.»t
of the people who need to call the
clinic for an appointment.
Emanuel Hospital and Health
Center offers emergency and hospi
tai care to everyone who needs our
services, whether they are residents
of the community, or are from a
distance. By cooperating with the
community clinics and Multnomah
County, we are working toward the
provision of medical care that is
matched to the needs of each indi
vidual or family that needs help
rated in w o u ld ever put it together.
If the co un ty sheriff patroled and enforced all crim inal law in
M ultnom ah County the links of inform ation to solve < rimes
w ould be in one chain
The deputies w orking Sauvies Island
or North Portland or Gresham or any other area in the co un ty
w ould w illin gly trade crim inal inform ation that w o u ld never
pass through the co un ty's five or six city police departm ents.
I ask the citizens o f this county, do you w ant crim inal law
enforcem ent by one efficient agency headed by your sheriff
w h o is elected by the people......or do you w ant crim inal law
enforced by five or six police chiefs appointed by the five or
six city bureaucrats and or mayors.
Russell D K raft
D epu ty R etired, M C .S O
11300 S W 33 S treet
Portland, OR
I •