Controversial changes to the city’s police accountability process will be examined during a special community forum Aug. 23, 2016.
We all should be there.
The event, hosted by the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Maranatha Church in Northeast Portland.
The proposed changes were unveiled publicly at an Aug. 1 town hall meeting, where critics slammed the new policies for decreasing transparency and civilian police accountability.
Currently, the city’s Independent Police Review system consists of the Police Review Board, which meets in private to review complaints and decide what, if any, action to take, and an independent Citizen Review Committee, which publicly hears appeals from citizen complainants.
Under the changes proposed by City Council members, those two bodies would be merged – and subsequently meet in private, a loss of transparency the CRC members strongly oppose, along with Street Roots and most anyone who understands the dynamics of police oversight.
State law sets the parameters that allow the police to review personnel matters behind closed doors. But the public’s case must see the light of day. Trading transparency for expediency is unacceptable.
This merged body would also include a significant police presence in comparison to civilian members, which the CRC rightly believes could have a chilling effect on community complaints, testimony and CRC criticism of bureau practices. It undermines the integrity of the process to tip the scales toward a greater police presence, diminishing the civilian’s critical role.
IPR Director Constantin Severe also agrees that the secrecy of the consolidated group is not an acceptable compromise for a streamlined system.
“The CRC acts as an advisory body to IPR; from our perspective we want to make sure any changes to city code would improve the process and have more buy in from the public,” Severe said, noting that the public’s concerns will be noted. “Moving forward we’re going to have to take that into account. Doing nothing is not an option for the city.”
The changes are prompted by federal pressure to streamline the police accountability process and expedite what are now months-long appeals by citizens claiming police misconduct. The city is subject to the settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, and according to City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero, the city could be found in violation of that agreement if its appeals process isn’t sped up. The federal requirement is for an appeals hearing to be held within 21 days of receiving a request. Currently, according to the auditor’s office, the median number of days for a complaint to move through the appeals process is 149.
The DOJ is expected to file a written progress report in late September. City Council is scheduled to take up its first of two required hearings on the proposed changes to the IPR on Sept. 14.
The best minds in the room still need to hear from you. Let your voice be heard and demand a process that preserves transparency, and the integrity of our agreement.
