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Portland Mayor Sam Adams made some surprising announcements at a noon press conference on Wednesday. He's taking over the police bureau from Commissioner Dan Saltzman and replacing Police Chief Rosie Sizer with Mike Reese, who has most recently served as the East Precinct commander.
In the past several months, Portland Police fatally shot two civilians. (UPDATE 8:53 PM Wednesday — Another fatal shooting, with an officer wounded, happened this evening.) Adams noted the earlier incidents in his address on Wednesday, saying that "the relationship between the people of Portland and the police officers is not what it needs to be." Sizer and Adams also locked horns in a very public budget fight earlier in the week.
Adams assigned the police bureau to Saltzman after his first pick for the job, Commissioner Randy Leonard, clashed with then-chief Sizer. Leonard was heard urging Adams to make some leadership changes at the Portland Police Bureau as recently as last month.
What kinds of interactions have you had with officers and how has that affected your perceptions of the police bureau? Have you worked as a police officer in Portland? What do the leadership changes at the Portland Police Bureau mean to you?
GUESTS:
- Sarah Mirk: Reporter for The Portland Mercury
- Sam Adams: Mayor of Portland and Commissioner of the Portland Police Bureau
- Anna Griffin: Columnist at The Oregonian
- Dave Dobler: Interim president of the Portland Police Association
Photo credit: Thomas Hawk / Creative Commons
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I think this change, regardless of whatever political fight may have pushed it out abruptly, is a good one. But I would like to know what steps will now be taken to curb the unnecessary fatalities and liberal use of tazers. Extra training? More independent oversight? I think both of these are necessary.
As for funding I think they should get that money to keep the cold case files department open, but not without some serious reform in the areas mentioned above.
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Now the mayor needs to terminate the employment of the Police Officers who have cost Portland taxpayers millions of dollars in legal settlements.
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CURRENT:I have never met a police officer that took the job because they wanted to be a punching bag every day. Police do exist who took the job because they like violence but I have not met any.
The police office is expensive to train and to maintain. A punch in the face has caused loss of income, disability and (becoming more common in Portland) medical lay-off from the job. To put another way, In today’s world a punch from a 13 year old drunk can cause you to lose your:Job,Retirement,
Medical,
Income bracket,
Home,
Plans to better your children,
Ability to ever work in the only job you have education and experience to do, (try to find a new path at 45-50 ).
Each and every action can lead to an officer’s life being permanently changed forever. The same is true for the citizen that officer is interacting with.
HOWEVER:
All officer interactions with citizens are defined by City policy. City policy has been strongly influenced by past problems and potential for money loss. The normal citizen is has no idea of these polices.
Portland police appear to be a confrontational force, not one of citizen aid.
They are trained-up to project the image of military might; to be in command at all times.
The officer acts as a judge, making summery, on the spot actions that profoundly effects the remainder of a citizen’s long life.
The public sees the police as being a special, protected class. The resentment of their power status, disability and retirement benefits, employment contracts is strong. This public state of mind is crazy-making, (random killing of cop’s).
If a law has been violated then the officer must make an arrest.
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WHAT to DO: Change the whole thing. (Will take years)
The more the police look and act different then the public, the more they become isolated and detached. The City gets the police quality and outcomes it pays for. Unless the philosophy, objectives, and funding change all problems with the police will keep repeating themselves.
All police citizen interactions would become much different if two officers responded to even the most minor call, (this is would completely change the dynamics of a common traffic stop).
Combine police and fire departments.
Have a team of officers that subdue someone using the same methods now used in prisons (bunch of big guys in armor who rush the crazy person. Take them to the ground, no guns).
Increases public support for funding by guaranteeing that each police dollar spent has the same limits a non-profit.
Ex:"From each dollar only 14% be spent on administration".
Full disclosure of all policies and procedures at public meetings/classes and printed publications.
Got to go to work now (hope I dont get a ticket!)
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I applaud Mayor Adams for his decision and his efforts to bring reform to our citiy. I was born and raised here in South East Portland, lived here all my life. In my youth we had the best police force here in the world, we never locked our doors, the car sat in the driveway unlocked and not once was there ever a problem. A neighborhood replete with stay at home moms I beleive added to the safety of our neghborhoods as well.
I have however noticed a shift in the attitude of the Police in our city. The Police here were friendly, helpful and seemed concerned about our citizens. In my opinion our police force is now a para military unit with little to no regard for our citizens.
I work downtown as a Chef, recently I got off work early, went on to the street and was assulted by a drunk. This assult happened in front of a dozen uniformed officers standing in front of a neighborhood precienct. I walked over to them and they refused to do anything, couldn't be bothered.
I have told my children if you run into trouble don't call the police call me first. I have no faith in our local law enforcement. I applaud May Adams for his efforts in brining reform to our city. Reform has to begin with leadership and a new Police Chief with a new vision is welcome.
Steve
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One wonders whether Ms. Sizer was right for the job in the first place, and of course whether she was a sort of equal opportunity mascot, to make the city look good. Perhaps now that she didn't work out, they have turned her into a scapegoat. When really the mess was all from the mayor's office to begin with.
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Considering Mr. Adams' young love scandal, which I supported him through, did it give him pause in his decision to fire Ms. Sizer? For instance, did he think, I was given a second chance by the people of Portland, perhaps she deserves one?
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Firing someone right before she retires seems like revenge theatrics.
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How does mayor Sam Adams plan be mayor and police bureau commissioner? Seems like some thing will have suffer to me.
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Here's a statistic i would like to know: What is the ratio of Portland Police Officer discharged firearms to kills on duty. It seems like every time i hear about a shooting, the civilian dies. Does the media only tell us about the kills or does nobody on the force know how to disarm a suspect during a shooting event? thx, thomboocha
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As the former president of a homeowners assocaition in the Old Town and Pearl districts we have seen our crime shoot through the ceiling. Rosie Sizer and her liasons were always accessable to us however, we never received any response from the mayors offices or the city council for that matter. Priot to the mayor and city council allowing the "exclusion zone" to sunset, our arrest rate in this neighborhood was around 25 per month since the law sunseted we have seen that arrest rate shoot to 135 per month.
How can the people of Portland feel safe when the city makes cuts to law enforcement and increases services to the homeless, whom are responsible for most of the crime?
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Now that Sam Adams is police commissioner what is he going to do about the unaccountable PPB? We now have three citizens shot and killed by police in three months. This is outrageous. When are these cops going to be fired so the community can feel safe again? When is the Portland Police Association going to be held responsible for shielding out of control and unaccountable police that are endangering our community as oppose to threatening and putting them at risk.
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We do not want a culture of police closing ranks in controversial situations or being generally hostile to the wider community. How will the new Chief and the mayor encourage a climate where officers can report concerns or provide productive input to improve pro-community attitudes? There are reports that the new chief has been retaliatory to an officer who raised concerns -- how can other officers be confident that they can express their concerns?
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Fortunately, most listeners here on OPB will not encounter the Portland police in a situation like what happened last night. Most of us ARE nervous that the police officer following us will pull us over and cite us for doing something that wasn't as dangerous as the financial impact might be of the ticket. I would like to see more officers aimed at improving public relations and being a strong presence all over the city and less focused on minor traffic issues. Sadly, I suspect the revenue of the police bureau relies on such minor infractions.
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This is an unvetted letter from the Montavilla Neighborhood Association.
Currently the Mayor’s budget provides only $125,000 for this important slate of services designed to holistically address prostitution in the City of Portland. This $600,000 will fully fund the following set of aligned efforts/services:
Social services programming for prostituted persons, along the lines of those provided currently by Lifeworks Northwest. These services are essential for helping this vulnerable population escape prostitution and build a productive, satisfying life.
Partial funding for prostitution detail cars, which contact prostituted persons on the street in a compassionate fashion but also apply a policing approach which benefits neighborhoods impacted by prostitution.
funding for Multnomah County District Attorney prosecutor time, which provides prosecutorial support to round out the slate of activities aimed at addressing prostitution.
In contrast to the $125,000 currently being offered for the PCT, it is noteworthy that the Mayor’s draft budget includes more than $2 million for the Service Coordination Team (SCT), which uses a similar approach, yet is focused on a somewhat different set of public safety threats and operates primarily in downtown Portland. It is also worthwhile to review the negative affects of prostitution on our community; which include:
Degrade neighborhood livability and decrease public safety,
Increase gang activity, as many prostituted persons are pimped by gang members,
Increase neighborhood apathy, resulting in civic disengagement and disillusionment with elected officials,
Perpetuate a dismally low high school graduation rate, as prostituted women enter prostitution on average at age 13; such young women cannot complete high school,
Perpetuate chronic homelessness, as nearly all prostituted women are homeless,
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Sam Adams does not speak for me when in his comments of last night he implies that Portlanders are just as afraid of police as they are criminals. That is the view of the anarchist fringe in this town. MOST citizens regret the Chasse incident, find the others ambiguous, and support the police as our bulwark against criminality. The Mayor seems more concerned with fringe views than those of the majority.
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Two points:
1. That music ending this serious discussion was the tackiest thing I've heard you guys do. Bad form! The obvious snickers from you guys really helps our new police chief a lot! OPB usually is a mature news source but not this time. I'm sure you are glad that your fund raiser has finished as I would not be inclined to contribute to your program.
2. The use of the word "civilian" and "citizen." They are not interchangeable. One of the early reporters used the term civilian in referring to citizens being shot by the police. If this were a declared war and police were drafted to be soldiers then the citizens of Portland would be civilians. The police are also citizens as the people they serve. I think using the word civilian creates a semantic wall that does nothing to aid in creating the dialogue and cooperation everyone seems to want.
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Cheryl - I am sorry you felt playing the music was in bad taste. I wasn't sure how it would go over, but playing guitar is something the new police chief loves to do and I thought it was a little bit fun to hear. And I will confirm our guests were laughing. I don't know if they would say they were snickering. Dave and I were not.
Good point on civilian and citizen. Thank you.
Emily
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Comments are now closed.
Now that Mayor Sam Adams has assumed the role of Police Commissioner, which of his existing bureau portfolios will he surrender or reassign so he can focus appropriate attention on this new responsibility?
In his statement, Mayor Sam Adams stated his intention to take a new, more proactive direction with the Police Bureau. To that end, what are the mayor's top three priorities for the bureau? How do these relate to the resources he has given the bureau in its FY2010-11 budget?
Finally, after the mayor's announcement, the Albina Ministerial Alliance expressed its displeasure at the lack of community engagement or involvement in the decision to appoint new Chief of Police Mike Reese. What steps will the mayor take to engage the entire community and reassure citizens that the Police Bureau's priorities align with the community's expectations?