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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2021)
Page 4 April 7, 2021 Police Reforms Gain Traction C ontinued from f ront ing intervention by an officer witness- ing police misconduct. It also requires officers to report abuses to “a super- visor.” This year, lawmakers are tweaking the new law to strengthen how the complaints are handled. It is spon- sored by Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Dem- ocrat who chairs the House subcom- mittee on equitable policing. “For me, the original trigger was the George Floyd case,” said Bynum, who is Black and from a Portland sub- urb. Portland was an epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests that erupted na- tionwide after Floyd’s death. On the night of Sept. 5, a Black resident came to police officers to inform them their tear gas was seeping into his house, affecting his son and dog. One officer whacked the man on the head with his baton, causing a concussion. Other officers told their colleague the man was an area homeowner, not a protester. Bynum says that shouldn’t matter, that even if he was a protester, he shouldn’t be attacked unprovoked. “He wasn’t doing anything. And so I never got really clear answers from the city about why that was OK,” By- num said. Police said back then that the in- cident was being investigated, but a half-year later they remain mum on the outcome or status. “I have not been provided infor- mation to release about the incident,” Lt. Greg Pashley, a police spokesman, said in an email. “Generally, the Pro- fessional Standards Division does not provide updates about internal inves- tigations.” Bynum’s new bill aims to address such cases. It requires complaints to be filed with a direct supervisor of the reporting officer, their chain of com- mand or with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Train- ing, or DPSST, which licenses law enforcement officers across the state. The bill sets a three-month deadline for investigations to be completed. Under the bill, if an investigation confirms misconduct occurred, the offi- cer’s unit must notify the DPSST, which would be tasked with establishing a da- tabase for reports of misconduct. Rep. Ron Noble, a Republican who co-chairs Bynum’s subcommittee and previously served as a police officer for 28 years, said at a hearing that the additional steps over last year’s bill are needed. “This is a result of our experience in ensuring that what officers do re- port does get investigated and is fol- lowed up on,” Noble said. Failure by an officers to intervene or report misconduct are grounds for disciplinary action. The employer may not retaliate against a reporting officer. Maryland lawmakers are also work- ing on legislation containing duty to intervene provisions. So is Washing- ton state. When the Washington state Senate passed such a bill in February, Repub- lican senators opposed. Some said it C ontinued on P age 10
