news1-maggy.jpg
  • Illustration by Wilder Schmaltz
If you're not into police oversight, don't expect a lot of hubbub—or even the usual little bit—at tomorrow's City Council meeting. Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Nick Fish will be out, and that means an already-skimpy agenda will look even leaner.

But if you are into police oversight, you're in luck. Last on tomorrow's list of topics is Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade's recommendations for the Portland Police Bureau's new Police Review Board.

There are 19 names from all across Portland's political and cultural firmament, accompanied by short biographies. A few of the candidates also have served on the Citizen Review Commission, a separate police board that meant to handle lesser complaints—unlike the new review board, which will handle use-of-force issues.

The new oversight panel is the creation of Commissioner Randy Leonard—a fellow who's sometimes been on the wrong side of police accountability issues. The council approved it this spring.

We asked Dan Handelman over at Copwatch if he had any issues with the new list. He said he hadn't had much time to examine it but that nothing—or no one— glaring stood out. Yet.

Other than the fact, he said, that the city still has two boards for police oversight instead of just one. And that an officer's commanding superior is still allowed to vote during reviews.

Oh, and the fact that even when the citizen panels do convene, the public isn't allowed to watch.

"No matter how good they are, we don't know how they're being influenced by police," he said."We cant go and observe the meetings."