The cost of defending Police Chief Mike Reese's decision to fire one officer and suspend three more in the January 2010 shooting of Aaron Campbell is rising. Wednesday, October 26, Portland City Council was scheduled to spend $150,000 more in legal fees to fend off the Portland Police Association's bid to win back a job for Officer Ron Frashour (the officer who actually shot Campbell) and get back pay for the other three. An arbitrator is currently weighing the case—and the city's total cost will now reach $400,000. The city has hired a national law firm, Littler Mendelson, because its own lawyers, ironically, are helping to defend the same officers' actions in a federal case filed by Campbell's family. DENIS C. THERIAULT

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A 10-year Portland police officer was arrested in Vancouver on Monday, October 24, on suspicion of three felony charges: burglary/domestic violence, second-degree assault, and criminal harassment. The Portland Police Bureau identified him as James Botaitis of East Precinct. Tuesday, citing court documents, the Oregonian said Botaitis is accused of barging into his estranged wife's apartment and then pointing his gun at a visiting friend. Botaitis helped cost the city a few thousand dollars in 2009 after breaking a woman's arm while her car was being towed. DCT

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Have you received your official city trick-or-treat bucket? The tan buckets promoting the city's new compost program should hit the doorsteps of every Portland home this week (unless you live in a big apartment complex). Starting October 31, Portlanders can dump all food waste (yes, including meat and bones) into their yard-waste bins, while regular trash service will switch to pickup every other week. The $1.15 million plan aims to cut greenhouse gases by composting Portland's food waste instead of shipping it 130 miles to the dump. SARAH MIRK