Internal Affairs declines to investigate complaint by high-ranking official alleging sexist language on 2020 protest challenge coin
An internal Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office complaint obtained by Street Roots offers one possible explanation for the secretive abbreviation on a sheriff’s office-specific challenge coin first reported on by Street Roots in April: No pu**ies, no bedwetters.
The Professional Standards/Internal Affairs Unit Pre-Investigative Committee determined the complaint did not meet criteria for an investigation less than 24 hours after it was filed.
Street Roots obtained copies of the complaint regarding the challenge coin after filing a successful public records appeal with the Multnomah County District Attorney. The sheriff’s office initially refused to release the records, citing a public records exemption that was not applicable.
Challenge coins, a long-standing tradition in law enforcement often referencing particular events, agencies or units within agencies, have faced scrutiny in recent years by critics who say the coins often glorify police brutality and a warrior mentality. While some agencies issue them in an official capacity, including the sheriff’s office, private retailers also make coins at the request of individuals independent of an agency. The sheriff’s office denies commissioning the coin.
The coin in question is emblazoned with an illustration of the Justice Center engulfed in flames on one side, encircled by the phrases “this we’ll defend,” and “remember the Alamo.”
On the reverse side, the coin includes an insignia of an eagle over a stylized American flag bearing a “thin blue line” with a lightning bolt reading “CERT,” a reference to the Corrections Emergency Response Team which engaged in crowd control during the 2020 racial justice protests at the Justice Center. Around the eagle insignia are the words “Multnomah County Sheriff,” and a Latin phrase translating to “always ready.” The center image is surrounded by the abbreviation for the Multnomah County Detention Center and the date May 29, 2020 — the day protesters broke into the Justice Center and set several fires in an office.
Street Roots News: MCSO reviews challenge coin, refuses to release findings
The coin also features a secretive abbreviation: NPNBW.
Chris Liedle, public information officer, previously told Street Roots the Professional Standards Unit completed a review of the coin and its contents and was unable to figure out the meaning of the abbreviation. The documents obtained by Street Roots now show the unit elected not to conduct any interviews or amass any investigative documents in an attempt to discern what the abbreviation meant.
A high-ranking sheriff’s office official, however, offered the Professional Standards/Internal Affairs Unit a potential explanation.
The complaint, filed by Katie Burgard, Sheriff Mike Reese’s chief of staff, notifies the Professional Standards/Internal Affairs unit of an April 7 Street Roots media inquiry regarding the coin, and refers a corrections deputy, along with the coin, for a review by the unit.
“Based upon the information provided (in Street Roots’ inquiry), it is alleged that (Dep. Daniel Szarowski) created the coin for MCSO CERT and includes the following abbreviation: ‘NPNBW — No Pu**ies No Bed Wetters (sic),’” Burgard wrote in an email to Jeff Heinrich, Professional Standards Unit manager, on April 11. “Please accept this email as referral of Dep. Szarowski, and the coin, to PIA for review of violations(s) of policy/personnel rule(s).”
Street Roots obtained Facebook messages showing an account that appears to belong to Szarowski communicating with an activist posing as a potential trade partner, as initially reported in April. In the correspondence, the account appearing to belong to Szarowski takes credit for the design, saying the account is owned by someone with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. While the account has pictures of Szarowski and the first name listed on the profile is “Daniel,” the displayed last name is not Szarowski. However, the displayed last name is consistent with the first name of another member of Szarowski’s family, a Street Roots investigation found.
Additionally, at least one photo posted to the account had comments from multiple people with the last name Szarowski.
Szarowski declined to comment on the coin prior to publishing the initial story on April 13, via Liedle. The photos provided to the sheriff’s office in a request for comment were initially sent from the Facebook account appearing to belong to Szarowski to the local activist posing as a potential trade partner.
In her complaint, Burgard lists specific areas of policy she believes the coin, and Szarowski if he indeed made the coin, may have violated. Among Burgard’s highlighted policies are general conduct, and discrimination and harassment-free workplace procedures.
Heinrich referred the complaint to Sgt. (Ret.) Tim Wonacott with the Internal Affairs Unit on April 11 just after 4:30 p.m. On April 12, just before 12:30 p.m., Wonacott told Burgard the “(Internal Affairs Unit) Pre-Investigative Assessment Committee” determined the complaint “did not meet the criteria for a formal investigation.”
“Your complaint will, however, be forwarded to the Chief Deputy for a debriefing with CERT Team members and leadership for awareness of discredit to the agency and appropriate use of MCSO name and insignia,” Wonacott wrote.
The committee finalized its decision not to investigate the coin’s meanings or origins on April 12, the day after the complaint was filed.
Street Roots’ April 7 media inquiry referenced in Burgard’s complaint did not include any potential explanation for what NPNBW stood for. When reached by phone after the release of the records on June 7, Burgard declined to answer any questions about her complaint, including whether or not she was certain NPNBW stands for “no pu**ies, no bedwetters.”
Burgard referred Street Roots to Liedle and said she would issue a statement through Liedle.
“After receiving (Street Roots’) initial inquiry, I took the questions regarding the coin seriously and referred the matter to Professional Standards,” Burgard said via Liedle on June 7. “I have no further comments on this subject.”
Numerous questions remain unanswered regarding the Professional Standards/Internal Affairs Unit pre-investigative assessment.
Among them, prominently, is why the Pre-Investigative Assessment Committee felt the complaint did not warrant an actual investigation.
The personnel who completed the pre-investigative assessment left a field for “Agency Manual alleged to have been violated,” completely blank, despite Burgard highlighting specific policies in her complaint she felt may have been violated.
Under general conduct, Burgard highlighted a passage: “Brings discredit upon the Sheriff’s Office, or himself/herself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office.”
The committee felt that portion of her complaint was important enough to specifically list a “debriefing with CERT Team and CERT Leadership for awareness of discredit to the agency …” as part of the plan following the assessment of the complaint.
The sheriff’s office has not responded to questions about the discrepancy in feeling that portion was enough to warrant a debriefing, but not enough to warrant an investigation. The sheriff’s office has also not responded to questions regarding how the unit felt the potential use of the word “pu**ies” as a pejorative did not warrant an investigation as a potential violation of anti-discrimination policies.
Burgard also requested CERT members be required to undergo “training addressing sensitivity, microagressions, or something similar.” The sheriff’s office did not respond to questions asking if such training was subsequently mandated, or if the debriefing ever took place.
Public records battle
Street Roots previously reported Liedle said the coin was sent to the Professional Standards Unit for a review in April. Liedle said the review was complete, but refused to release findings in response to a follow-up inquiry from Street Roots in May. Liedle said records pertaining to the review were exempt from public records laws citing ORS 181A.830, a public records exemption titled “Disclosure of information about certain public safety employees.”
A formal records request by Street Roots on May 18 yielded a more specific denial from the sheriff’s office, citing subsection three of the same exemption: “A public body may not disclose information about a personnel investigation of a public safety employee of the public body if the investigation does not result in discipline of the employee.”
The exemption does not apply when the release of such records is in the public interest. In an appeal filed with the Multnomah County District Attorney, Street Roots argued in favor of the public interest.
The District Attorney’s office sided with Street Roots on June 6 and ordered the records be released, noting the sheriff's office did not actually investigate the coin or its origins, and therefore the exemption did not apply.
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