Commissioner Randy Leonard, widely expected to be named the next commissioner in charge of the police bureau by Mayor-Elect Sam Adams, has withdrawn himself from consideration, citing an “unfortunate dynamic”–his terse relationship with Police Chief Rosie Sizer, and the media “debate” over that relationship. There’s been no debate here at the Mercury. But the Oregonian’s […]
Cops
Posted inCops
82nd Ave Neighbors Plan Prostitution Town Hall
Blatant prostitution along 82nd Avenue has both local residents and Council Commissioner Randy Leonard hot and bothered. After the expiration of the prostitution-free zone along the Ave last September, Leonard has been meeting with police officials to figure out other methods of ending the sex work–in Leonard’s view, the city should use a service coordination […]
Posted inNews
The Crap Cannon
This month’s Portland cop paper, the Rap Sheet, carries a syndicated Fox news piece about a new crowd control device, “rumored” to be used against “protesters” at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The cannon, reads the piece, blasts low frequency noise at protesters… “Also called “Brown Note,” it is believed to be an infrasound […]
Posted inNews
Making Progress, or Being “Whitewashed?”: Racial Profiing Committee Stumbles On
The mayor’s racial profiling committee was thin on the ground yesterday following last month’s supposedly energizing retreat at the Doubletree hotel, leaving its members to ponder the committee’s long-term viability. “I was quite disappointed with the end result [of the retreat], quite frankly,” said the committee’s co-chair, Jo Ann Bowman of Oregon Action. “If we […]
Posted inCops
City Council Tosses Half a Million Bucks at Police Overtime Problem
This morning, Police Chief Rosie Sizer hit up the city council for $510,776 to cover cop overtime. This is about “making hard choices,” Sizer says, as she tries to juggle a short staffed police force with things like cops’ vacation requests and “the visits that will occur with the fall election cycle,” i.e. providing security […]
Posted inNews
Limo Rage: Stretch Driver In Spat With Vespa
A limo driver lashed out at a city employee riding a scooter last Thursday night, in a road rage incident on SW Taylor and Broadway. The scooter rider, Mary Volm, happens to be the spokesperson for the city department that regulates taxis and towncars but ironically, not limousines (the city has not yet bowed to […]
Posted inPolitics
Council Agrees to Amend Cops’ Agreements with Other Jurisdictions, to Increase Oversight
The city council tried to push through a set of intergovernmental agreements between the city and TriMet, to continue to allow officers from other agencies–the Hillsboro or Milwaukie police department, for example–to patrol MAX. But members of the IPR’s Citizens Review Board have big concerns about this legislation, because it continues the status quo–currently, as […]