I sure am glad to hear that Rev. Phil was vendicated! Now, if only the filthy, cowardly pig who assaulted him can be brought to justice!

Uh?
Tasering is way out of line, HOWEVER,
It's not smart to disobey an order from the police, I have my doubts that he didn't know they were the police.
What a waste of tax payer money enforcing this sort of stuff.

"I have my doubts that he didn't know they were the police."

Phil probably didn't realize they were pigs until AFTER he was being electrocuted.

I think the Portland Police need to address issues regarding training officers in ethics and protocol in arrest.

I myself was once arrested in front of Portland Police headquarters during a sincere attempt to ask questions to law officers regarding information I had retained from a stint at PGE that pertained to the finances of the company and their relevance to allegations of impropriety that were circulating via the ICNU lawyers in the WWeek, Oregonian (and briefly) the NY Times.

I was in a very bad situation, starting to show major signs of psychological unwellness relating to the extreme stress that the situation had caused me, and in short desperately needed the counsel of a reasonable and responsible authority figure.

Instead, my sincere request with the police was met with belligerence and hostility and they told me I had to leave the building. As I was leaving the building, the two officers who I had talked to ran up to me from behind, kicked me to the ground (in the process fracturing one of my ribs) and demanded that I show them the contents of my briefcase which owing to the confidential nature of its contents (such documents are subject to protective order, check the regulation) I was not legally permitted to do.

Once it was determined that my briefcase in fact contained paperwork the police then proceeded to file an incorrect description of the event in question in their police report and took me to spend a night in hooper detox.

I *desperately* needed counsel and advise from a responsible figure of authority. Instead, I encountered clearly unprofessional behavior. The ultimate result of this failure of authority was a terrible and completely unnecessary tragedy, which would play out over the next couple of weeks.

Please don't get me wrong. The vast majority of Portland Police are responsible and ethical individuals who provide a noble and necessary civic service. Even those that occasionally fall short are not in any way worthy of public scorn, ridicule or systematic attitudes of disrespect. The police are human, they make mistakes; we are all human. Nonetheless there *ARE* issues with police accountability in Portland. It would do Portland, its population and the police itself a great service if a sincere effort was made with regard to accountability in addressing the issues that do exist. Sweeping things under the rug is not a good strategy. Everyone benefits from government that is transparent, competently managed and accountable. Nothing is gained from failure to acknowledge and cope with real problems that have occurred.

In most dealings I have had with the Portland Police they conducted themselves honorably, respectfully and ethically. I harbor no animosity towards the police or the necessary and invaluable civic service they provide to the community. Nonetheless, to ignore the simple fact that there have been problems is irresponsible.

I understand that police have stressful jobs, and that by virtue of their position they often come into situations that can result in legitimate frustration regarding the disrespect that is shown to them by some members of the general public. Such circumstances can result occasionally in tempers flaring and rash action. That much is human nature, and nearly every one of us makes mistakes from time to time. People will never be perfect, and every person regardless of station in life will occasionally make mistakes. Its the human condition. Although we are imperfect creatures, and there is no way to change that, people, most particularly those who have public authority should take accountability and try to acknowledge legitimate issues rather than attempt to ignore their existence.

In conclusion, and in a tone of sincere respect for our law enforcement officers and the difficult job they have, I do think that the Portland Police need to make improvements in this area. Portland is called the City that Works and it often does in fact work amazingly well. Sometimes however it does not. When it fails or falls short, I think that all interested parties benefit from an ethic of accountability and transparency.

Respectfully,

Kyle Sullivan