Page 4
December 06, 2023
County Judge Shoots
Down Gun Control
Measure
Keller said in a press release.
Continued from Front “Measure 114 provides the two
last December, ruling that it
violates the state constitution.
Raschio ruled that all of the
law’s provisions are unconsti-
tutional. After a six-day trial
in September, the law was per-
manently blocked, unless it is
overturned on appeal.
That’s just what Oregon At-
torney General Ellen Rosen-
blum plans to do, she said in an
email to Oregon Public Broad-
casting last week.
“The Harney County judge’s
ruling is wrong,” she wrote.
“Worse, it needlessly puts Or-
egonians lives at risk. The state
will file and appeal and we be-
lieve we will prevail.”
The petition to address gun
control was sponsored by Lift
EveryVoice Oregon, with chief
petitioners that included ac-
tivist Marilyn Keller, Rev. Dr.
Mark Knudson, and Rabbi Mi-
chael Cahana.
“The people of Oregon took
the work of reducing gun vio-
lence into their own hands be-
cause so little was being done,”
most effective changes, sup-
ported by evidence-based stud-
ies, for reducing gun-related
homicides and suicides.”
In the same press release,
Cahana added that he feels
confident that the appeal will
be successful.
“Everyone at Lift Every
Voice Oregon is grateful to At-
torney General Rosenblum and
her skilled attorneys and staff
for their tireless efforts to make
Measure 114 fully operation-
al,” he said. “We look forward
to their further efforts in state
court to achieve a similar result
as soon as possible.”
In a telephone interview,
Rev. Knutson said he was not
surprise by Raschio’s ruling
because of the questions he
asked at the trial, but felt con-
fident it will be overturned by
the state Court of Appeals.
His rational will not hold
up. “I have great confidence
in our Oregon AG to reverse
it and to complete the process
and implement it as Oregon
law,” he said.
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A
GOOD HAIR DAY?
At Mane of Opulence, we believe that everyone deserves to feel like a
million bucks. That's why we're dedicated to helping women who are
suffering from hair loss or just absolutely love the versatility extensions
can provide. We offer top-tier extensions and wigs, and we're ready to
help you turn your hair goals into a reality.
treat yourself
SO G O A HEA D :
USE CODE SAVE15 AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF.
Phoenix Police Department Sgt. Kevin Johnson shows off the new Axon Body 2 body camera. (AP
Photo)
City Council Approves $2.6M
for Police Body Cameras
Public officers
will have body
cameras by
the Summer
The City Council in Portland,
Oregon, approved $2.6 mil-
lion for permanent police body
cameras in a unanimous vote, a
crucial step toward the city no
longer being among the last ma-
jor U.S. police agencies without
the technology.
All of the city’s roughly 800
uniformed officers who interact
with the public will have body-
worn cameras by the summer,
after training and further negoti-
ations with the police union, The
Oregonian/OregonLive reported
Wednesday. But only around 300
patrol officers will be required
to wear them routinely on their
shifts, the news outlet reported.
Roughly 500 other sworn mem-
bers, including detectives and
sergeants, will put on their cam-
eras when they interact with the
public, said police spokesperson
Mike Benner. The City Council’s
approval for the cameras came
after a 60-day pilot program that
lasted from August to October and
equipped 150 officers with camer-
as. The vote makes the pilot pro-
gram permanent.
Among the 50 largest police
departments in the country, Port-
land, until this year, was the only
one that had not yet deployed
body cameras. A settlement with
the U.S. Department of Justice
requires Portland’s police bureau
to implement a body camera pol-
icy. The settlement stemmed
from a 2012 lawsuit brought by
the federal government against
Portland over allegations its po-
lice used excessive force against
people with mental illness.
Wednesday’s vote followed
nearly a decade of at times con-
tentious negotiations between the
city and the police union over the
technology. Among the major
disagreements was whether offi-
cers who use deadly force can re-
view camera footage before writ-
ing reports or being interviewed
by investigators.
Under a negotiated policy
between the city and its police
union, officers who use deadly
force won’t get to view their cam-
era’s footage until after they’ve
provided an audio-recorded state-
ment to internal affairs within 48
hours of the incident. During
Wednesday’s vote, Mayor Ted
Wheeler said the policy might
take time to implement.“It’s go-
ing to take some time for us to
phase in the rollout of body cam-
eras and make sure that every-
body has sufficient training and
sufficient understanding of how
these tools will work,” he said.