Governer Kulongoski decides to invite several Portland-area police departments to a friendly competition. The Beaverton Police Department, the Gresham Police Department, and the Portland Police Department all take part.
A jackrabbit is marked with blue dye, then released into Forest Park. Each of the Police Departments in turn is given a chance to locate and capture the rabbit.
First, the Gresham PD goes in.
They place animal informants throughout the Park.
They question all plant and mineral witnesses.
After weeks of extensive investigation, they conclude that rabbits do not exist.Then, the Beaverton PD goes in.
They set up dozens of infrared surveillance cameras, each equipped with a GPS receiver and connected to the Internet by satellite.
Undercover officers in bear suits roam the woods.
After two weeks with no leads they call a press conference to announce that the rabbit has definitely left the area, and is probably now in California using an assumed name.Finally, the Portland Police Department goes in.
They come out two hours later with a badly beaten raccoon.
The raccoon is yelling: “Okay! Okay! I’m a rabbit! I’m a rabbit!”
On November 14, Portland Officer Aaron Dauchy confronted a 12-year-old girl on a MAX platform for violating a Trimet “exclusion”. She and Dauchy began to scuffle. At this point Portland Officer Chris Humphreys discharged a shotgun loaded with a nonlethal “beanbag” round point-blank into the thigh of the girl.
Here’s the TriMet video that captured the incident.
As a result, Humphreys was placed on administrative leave by Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Police Chief Rosie Sizer. In response, hundreds of Portland police officers marched through downtown in support of Officer Humphreys. Twelve-year veteran Officer Peter Taylor penned a passionate explanation of why he, personally, felt he had to take part in the march.
The Portland Police Association conducted a “no-confidence” vote on Saltzman and Sizer, taking the position that Officer Humphreys “had acted as he was trained to act and did everything to minimize injury to the 12-year-old girl” and that “her actions is what led to the use of force against her”.
Under pressure from the union, Officer Humphreys was reinstated to desk duty, and in return the union is withholding the results of the no-confidence vote. The net result is an increased erosion in the relationship between the Portland Police Department and the public that they are sworn to protect.
Let’s put this incident into some sort of context.
The 12-year-old on the platform was under TriMet exclusion for the prior theft of a purse. According to TriMet Code Chapter 28, the District may exclude an individual from all or any part of the District Transit System for a provision of the TriMet code, or a violation of any criminal law of the State of Oregon while on the District Transit System, for up to six months. There are certain exceptions, but they aren’t relevant here.
Under “Enforcement” (section 28.20), the Code states that “all peace officers of the State of Oregon are authorized to issue citations, as provided by Oregon law, to any person who violates any provision of TMC Chapter 28″. So, the young lady was under an exclusion, and therefore could be cited for being at a MAX platform.
When confronted, she struggled. This was a bad decision, and certainly not her first. But the response that followed was entirely out of proportion for the situation. Much has been made of her height and weight, but even if she is the size of some adults, her size is not the issue. She was twelve. Children at 12 may not make rational choices. Applying an adult standard of behavior to a 12-year-old is inappropriate.
However, even if she were an adult, getting shot by a shotgun at close range was not justified by the seriousness of the situation. She was unarmed, not a threat to anyone, and guilty only of violating exclusion.
The seductive trap of less-than-lethal (LTL) weapons is the mistaken belief that they are “safe”, coupled with the realization that hitting a suspect with a taser or a beanbag round is a lot faster and easier than either arguing or grappling with them. But let’s get one thing straight, “non-lethal” does not mean harmless. In fact, experts refer to beanbag rounds, baton rounds and the like as “less-than-lethal”, or LTL. LTL ammo can break bones, rupture organs, destroy eyes, and even kill.
Furthermore, beanbag rounds are more traditionally used for stand-off applications such as riot control, and not close-range confrontations. Optimal range for use of a beanbag round is between 21 and 50 feet, according to the Police Assessment Resource Center, and when fired at less than 10 feet beanbag rounds can cause death or serious injury.
So, to put this in plain English, a 12-year-old girl was in a position to get a citation, and when she resisted she was shot, point-blank, by a 12-gauge shotgun firing 1.4 ounces of lead shot encased in a fabric sack.
This represents a dangerous use of force. And what is even more troubling, the use of excessive force appears to be becoming more and more common with the Portland Police Department. To wit, it’s beginning to look like the most serious crime you can commit in Portland is resisting arrest.
In 2003, not too long after I moved to Portland, 21-year-old African-American Kendra James was shot to death by Portland Police Officer Scott McCollister during a traffic stop. Ms. James, who had a warrant out for her arrest, had been riding in the back seat of the car. After the driver had been removed, Officers attempted to arrest Ms. James. Unexpectedly, she jumped from the back seat into the front seat of the car, started it, and tried to drive away. Indicating that he believed his life to be in danger, Officer McCollister fired his weapon, killing Kendra James.
In 2006, a homeless schizophrenic named James Chasse was “subdued” by Portland and Multnomah County police officers, resulting in 16 broken ribs, a broken shoulder, a broken sternum, and massive internal injuries. He died in custody. Mr. Chasse was guilty of public urination, and running from police.
My interest in the Portland bicycling community has made me aware of a few other incidents, where bicyclists have been chased, grabbed by the hair, handcuffed and arrested, and even tackled, pushed off their bike, and tasered repeatedly. Their crimes? Riding at night without a light, and not immediately stopping when shouted at. Even in the dark, when the arresting officers couldn’t remember if they properly identified themselves.
In the immortal words of Chris Rock, “If the police have to come and get you, they’re bringing an ass-kicking with them.”
I’m concerned. When I was a kid, I was taught that if I had a problem, if I was lost, if I was scared, I should find a policeman. That if someone was wearing a police uniform, I could trust them. Now I’m becoming afraid to give my own children the same advice. The Portland Police are in danger of being uniformly perceived as abusive, of using excessive force, and of being unable to police themselves.
The Portland Police department has many, many fine officers, who go to work every day under threat of violence, and spend their shifts dealing with the worst that humanity can offer. But those fine officers do themselves, and their city, a grave disservice when they fail to recognize excess within their own ranks, and fail to condemn it without equivocation.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments }
After awhile, honestly, one throws their hands up in the air. We elect officials we think may change the tone and yet they back down the first sign of conflict. What’s one to do?
There are times when the police do make decisions based on what is going on. They are in dangerous situations every day and honestly, we’re Monday morning quarterbacks sometimes. But to shoot a 12 yr old girl is a sign that something is seriously wrong.
I totally agree, dieselboi. And if I hear one more time about the girl’s size, I may have to get out a beanbag (we use ‘em for ice packs) and beat somebody. Figuratively, of course.
Comments on this entry are closed.