Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner sat through most of this week’s day-and-a-half-long “fairness hearing” on federal police reform in Portland, keeping quiet while some five dozen speakers went before US District Court Judge Michael Simon—many of them begging the judge to reject a reform plan many believe is too weak.
The rank-and-file union boss very occasionally made faces during the hearing, but he didn’t let on how he felt. Until today. He sent a statement to his nearly 1,000 members saying he left the courthouse so shaken he was “wondering why we do the work we do.”
He questioned the credibility of the speakers who recounted their own accusations of police misconduct and disappointing oversight. He made clear he doesn’t think much of civilian oversight, even in the limited form Portland provides it. And he also took a shot at former Mayor Sam Adams—who initially negotiated the reform agreement in 2012—by calling out the Beau Breedlove scandal.
(Adams was investigated by the state attorney general’s office but never charged; I guess this means Turner has no problem with publicly hectoring cops who’ve been accused of misconduct and actually found in violation by bureau commanders—even if an arbitrator ultimately overturned that discipline?)
The comments do not bode well for Simon’s helpful suggestion that the US Department of Justice and city of Portland might consider amending the agreement to accommodate community concerns. The agreement includes some recommendations on collecting more data on racial disparities and tighter oversight mechanisms, but mostly deals with findings on how officers use force against people in mental health crisis.
The current deal went before the judge only after Turner’s union won some changes—most significantly in how the bureau wrote its new use of force policy—and reluctantly gave its approval last December.
Turner seems to have already budged as much as he’s willing to budge.
For all of Tuesday and half of Wednesday Tom Perkins, Anil Karia, our labor attorney, and I sat and listened as community organizations, community members and attorneys took their turn to bash Portland Police Officers. Even as a 23 year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, never have I been exposed to such an array of complaints directed at the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect those who fall victim to crime, misfortune, or crisis.
Hours of testimony was presented; police reform organizations praising a former Mayor who was the subject of an Oregon Attorney General’s investigation, citizens by the dozen who recounted police misconduct and brutality while they themselves were not involved in any wrongdoing, and misinformation. I left the Federal Courthouse wondering why we do the work we do. Why do we put ourselves at risk on a daily basis? And why do we expose ourselves to the scrutiny of those who have never walked in our shoes? And then it came to me, like it always does. Because it’s just what we do!
I commend Judge Simon for listening to everyone’s testimony, reading every letter, and watching every video. He has shown the ultimate professionalism through this entire process, which in itself is amazing.
As always, the Portland Police Association will allow the process to run its course and face any challenges along the way as we draw to a conclusion of this long and laborious journey.
Turner’s comments do not appear on a list of news releases on the PPA’s website. But Turner has said some of this stuff publicly before. Earlier this month, he took to his union’s newsletter to expound on his distaste for a police accountability system he thinks isn’t fair to cops—and that the feds had criticized as “Byzantine” and “self-defeating.”
Until our City leaders put their thumbs down on these violators, cops doing their jobs will end up holding the Governmental Interest bag. Until our City leaders stop depending on organizations like PARC, OIR, IPR and CRC, none of whom are cops nor have ever been cops, to tell us how to do our jobs (which is like a bad Holiday Inn commercial). And until our City leaders bring in real cops to determine the tools needed for us to do our jobs, the rank and file of the Portland Police Bureau will have that dark cloud of Governmental Interest hanging over their heads on every call and every interaction they have with the citizens and communities that they have protected better than any law enforcement agency in the nation.
DoD study on random polygraphs for personnel. http://t.co/Tr7uafTd
“the polygraph is the single most effective tool for finding information people were trying to hide.” – DIA, NSA.
CBP could require current employees to undergo polygraphs. http://t.co/MpPsmq2p
Make policy that polygraphs for all new hires expire every 2-5yrs. http://shar.es/epfm2
Random drug, lie detector tests for Police Officers in Spain. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Random….
LAPD body video cameras. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-dodgers…
The honest, brave officers with integrity deserve better.
And so does the public.
Wherever you are in the World, in your own jurisdictions, in your own capacity, you can do something, anything, just one thing. And make a difference.
Break the code. Break the culture.
Please, Cops shouldn’t be expected to take polygraphs.
However, I am in favor of drug testing, as they carry weapons with them.
While normally I am somewhat hostile to any of the public unions, I felt empathy with the Turner after reading all this.
Mr. Turner should resign; he misrepresents what happened at the Fairness Hearing with Judge Michael Simon. Over 60 people most just citizens came to tell their stories of what it is like to come into contact with the Portland PD. The organizations that deal with police accountability are surly important in what they see and hope to see changed, but it is the everyday citizens that got to me. Stories of police taking stuff away from the homeless, the “Sweeps” where the homeless are told to move, but have no place to go, the arrogance of the rank and file. Mr. Turner should resign because he does not understand that the people who took the time to testify are fed up with the Portland Rogue Gang who is paid for what they do. Mr. Turner missed the point that business as usual is not good enough, we want a police force that the Department of Justice will someday say, and they are trying. You use the old saying that says, “…We put ourselves at risk on a daily basis” That one will not work anymore; the citizens are more at risk on the streets from your police than you are, and we don’t get paid. Why is it you guys don’t like living in Portland, the city you protect? Why is it that you have the City Council so afraid of you that they will not make real change? Why it is when people cause the citizens millions of dollars in awards to the use of excessive force, not one police officer is held accountable? Yes, Mr. Turner you should resign because you do not represent the good guys on the force who want to be part of the community, you represent the bad guys who once said to me, “Take my card, they will not do a damn thing to me” and they didn’t. Say goodbye Mr. Turner you time as Union President is up!
I understand the President’s frustration. Portland is a town filled with criminal loving freaks. They will sooner defend a gang banger who robbed a liquor store in a narrow minded blog rant than acknowledge that 99.9% of all cops are decent hardworking people protecting and serving us. I get the whole anarchist, anti cop vibe the Mercury wants to project. Guess I would be upset too if I was spraypainting graffiti on private property and got billy clubbed on the head.