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‘City of Roses’
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXIV • Number 29
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • July 28. 2004
-.-.Weekin
TheReview
Moore Invites Bush
toSee*F91V
If President Bush isn’t busy at
the ranch W ednesday night, he
can score a couple of seats at a
m o v ie p re m ie re in n earb y
C raw ford, Texas. Film m aker
Michael Moore, who visited the
Democratic National Convention
on M onday, said he has invited
the president to join him for a
screening o f “Fahrenheit 9 /1 1”,
his documentary about terrorism
and the war in Iraq.
Kerry Urges Follow Through
from 9/11 Panel
Keeping national security at the
front o f the presidential cam ­
paign, John Kerry called Tues­
day for extending the life o f the
Sept. 11 com mission to help en­
sure that its recommendations
are enacted as soon as possible.
U.S. Indicts Muslim Charity
A federal indictment unsealed
Tuesday charged a Muslim char­
ity and seven men with con­
spiracy and dealing with terror­
ists. The Texas-based Holy Land
Foundation for Relief and Devel­
opment was named in the 42-
count indictment.
Bryant Judge May Release
Case Transcripts
Under pressure from the U.S.
Supreme Court, the judge in the
Kobe Bryant sexual assault case
indicated Tuesday he may re­
lease edited copies o f transcripts
from a closed-door hearing deal­
ing with the accuser’s sex life
that were accidentally e-mailed
to reporters.
Groups Sue to
Stop Bag Searches
Tw o civil rights groups in Bos­
ton filed a lawsuit in federal court
to stop the Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority from
random ly inspecting passen­
gers’ bags, saying it’s an uncon­
stitutional violation o f personal
privacy.
Medicare Cut for
Cancer Drugs Proposed
The Bush adm inistration pro­
posed cutting Medicare payment
rates for doctors providing can­
cer treatment in theiroffices, pro­
jecting savings o f $530 million
amid concerns that some spe­
cialists would reduce their prac­
tices. M ed icare c h ie f M ark
M cClellan said the government
is paying far too much for cancer
drugs administered in doctors’
offices.
Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth shows leadership to police force under scrutiny.
photo by
1’ U A V V U K I H
S e ts th e T o n e
by J aymee R. C gti
T he P ortland O bserver
Ten months ago. Derrick Foxworth inher­
ited one o f the toughest jobs in the city at a
time when the police bureau was under the
microscope following the officer-involved
shooting o f Kendra James, an unarmed Af­
rican-American woman at a routine traffic
stop in northeast Portland.
Stacks o f recommendations to improve
the bureau poured in, from independent re­
view agencies, internal boards, citizens and
political groups forming in response to the
use o f deadly force.
Word on the street was that Foxworth
had inherited a bureau of “rookies" or “cow ­
boys” with insufficient training and dubi­
ous attitudes towards people o f color.
Though Foxworth admits that his bureau
is young, him self only 45, he believes that
with leadership, the best intentions of his
officers will earn the public’s trust
Echoing the cornerstone attitudes of
Portland’s first African-American police
chief, Charles M oose, community policing
is quick to the lips o f Foxworth.
“When I first took the position, there was
a lot o f concern about restoring the trust
M ichael R ubenstein /T hf . P ortland O bserver
Chief shows tenacity
f ° r g°od policing
between the police and the community and
a concern about use o f force and a concern
about community policing. That gave me an
agenda o f what we need to work on," said
Foxworth.
Many o f the bureau’s changes since
Foxworth was hired center around his com ­
mitment to community policing.
The bureau is launching the return of a
Citizen’s Police Academy, “to help the com ­
munity understand what we do and why we
do it,” Foxworth explains.
The debut o f a Use o f Force Board,
staffed with citizens and officers with vot­
ing power, was created in response to the
officer-in vol ved shootings afflicting the city
in the past year. The bureau is currently
recruiting for more minority applicants and is
expected to meet in November.
Foxworth also plans to expand the Taser
program, requiring every officer to be trained
in Taser handling and equipment, to avoid
use of deadly force.
One o f the largest changes com ing up in
the bureau is the return o f 40 hours o f officer
in-service training, a costly program cut in
continued
on page A2
Unsolved Murders Reopened
Chief enacts Cold Case Squad to restore safety
by
J ohanna S. K ing
T he P ortland O bserver
Police Chief Derrick Foxworth is stirring up the dust
o f past acts o f deadly violence in hopes of solving
future crimes.
Experts in criminal justice say if a case isn’t solved
within 72 hours after a crime is first reported, with no
strong leads identified, it often gets pushed to the
back burner.
Foxworth announced a plan last week to create a
Cold Case Squad to help reverse the increasing pat­
tern o f crim es being committed and then left unsolved.
He will begin launching the first stages o f close
exam inations within the next few weeks.
“W e’ve heard the persistent recommendations
and seen the immediate needs within our community
to try and solve w hat’s been left unsolved in the past,"
said Foxworth. “As a result o f an overwhelming
response o f both individual and group interest and
many recent technological gains, there's no reason
for us not to implement a cold case squad.”
Erasing the disgrace o f unsolved crimes will come
at no easy cost. The new homicide team will begin with
a sergeant and two detectives and is likely to expand
its work force after investigations are resurrected and
heavily underway.
The initial challenge will be to decide which of the
270 m urder cases left unsolved in the past 19 years to
reopen first.
Foxworth, who is concerned primarily with about
50 fairly recent, gang-related homicides, said he hopes
to restore broken community relationships and earn
back the public’s trust in the Portland Police Bureau.
He said any unsolved crimes can bring fear and
intimidation to the city 's neighborhoods.
“O ur jo b as police officers includes working for the
citizens we represent. Our main objective in every­
thing we do is to act in the best interest o f the
community and uphold the strong values o f our public
service organization," he said. “It’s time people begin
to see the good w e’re doing and the good we continu­
ally strive for.”
Although Cold Case Squads have earned a posi­
tive reputation among popular culture with television
shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation aired on
( BS, the jo b in reality isn’t as fun and adventurous as
it appears.
Homicide squads depend heavily on new tech­
nologies, including DNA testing and accessible his­
tory records. They also revisit old leads and witnesses
io iry ano paten missing pieces.
W hile the idea of a squad has earned the public’s
approval, its effectiveness may be limited by a lack of
funds.
Foxworth originally hoped to start the squad earlier
this year, but budget changes forced him to hold off.
My priority here is to get existing m urderers,
w ho have yet to be caught and sentenced o ff the
street before they can kill again. I t's about reassur­
ing safety and taking back our co m m unities," he
said. “ I’m w illing to do anything it takes to get the
jo b d o n e."
i
st
ram
Top players Maggie Fomess (from left). Corina Butcher and
Kamie Boggan advance Riverside softball team to champion­
ship.
Riverside Plays Pendleton
for Championship
Winner will
advance to
region als
An exciting state tournament
held at Alpenrose left the major
girls Riverside softball team set
up to play for the regional cham ­
pionship.
The Riverside team won week­
end games against Districts 5 ,6
and 8.
1 victory over District 8.
S a tu rd a y , R iv e rsid e beat
Roseberg, 13 to 3.
Riverside took Crook County
on Sunday and beat them 2 to I.
Monday, Riverside beat C as­
cade 4 to 3 in a nine inning game,
advancing them to the cham pi­
onship game against Pendleton.
The winner will go to regionals
in Vancouver, Wash.
Riverside holds the district title
for three consecutive years.