Comments

1

And yet the head of the police union thinks he can get elected to the City Council. Keep dreaming Darryl.

3

I just can't understand why a department that keeps promoting Kruger into higher positions of power is having difficulty building trust with citizens, especially those who are not white. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2014/07/portland_police_capt_mark_krug.html

8

A few years ago a retired police officer wrote a great letter to either the Oregonian or Tribune, can't remember which, about how he was shocked at the contempt toward the civilian population many younger officers expressed. The bottom line is too many cops think being rude or condescending is the way to interact even with people just trying to get from Point A to Point B. Sure, some cops are good and don't think of civilians as "assholes," the famous term LAPD use for anyone who is not a cop, but too many think their badge gives them a free pass to intimidate and annoy people. Just one example -- two cop cars were blocking my driveway one day, right before I had to get to work. I politely asked the cops why they were blocking the driveway, and one guy was like, "Mind your own business." I told him I would love to but I had to get to work. No apologies, they both shot me that annoying smirk so many cops employ when asked a reasonable question, and finally moved, acting as if I had done something wrong by simply trying to get to work. And that's just one example of negative interactions I've had with cops here. I'm sure many people have had much worse, but then again, to be fair to the cops, a lot of Portlanders have lost their minds in recent years and do their best to annoy the cops. I don't know, I give up, we can't even agree on what is the minimum level of behavior expected between strangers anymore in our society, so the cops probably just reflect the public's overall confusion. My advice -- avoid the cops at all costs because you just don't know how they're going to act. A lot of them are essentially adolescent in thinking, as are a lot of protesters and gang-bangers in this town, so it's a perfect storm of immature people in authority dealing with immature civilians all the time here.

11

"The report also points to growing tensions between the police bureau and mayor's office, which is often amplified by statements made by the Portland Police Association, PPB's union."

What? A labor union spoke poorly of management while representing the rank and file (as they are paid to do)?
Heck no. In Portland labor unions are expected to meekly accept all management decisions and quietly just do what they are told.

Support your union workers, folks.

15

If you're brown and stopped by the cops, shoot first. Otherwise they will. Isn't it funny how none of the Patriot group has been shot, even though they have had rifles pointed at civilians? If some black people came down from Vancouver and harassed Portlanders, they'd all be dead in minutes. The white power group can get away with anything though.

Some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses.

16

@Wizard. If I came across two people standing in front of a door and talking, I would ask, "Can I get through?" I might even toss in an "Excuse me" just to be polite. If I instead used confrontational words (even with polite tone) such as, "Why are you two blocking this door?" I would expect the response to also be confrontational. The first alerts the others what I need and how they can help me while the later demands the others explain themselves to me for their actions. I guess we can agree that we can't agree on what is acceptable behavior between strangers.

18

phlegmmy, why don't we keep things consistent and say they are standing in a place they otherwise have a legal right to be. So like cops in the street, the two people are on a sidewalk blocking my apartment building door. Maybe it's a homeless guy with his carts. Say excuse me and give him the opportunity to do the right thing without accusing him of doing something wrong.

20

@Bridger: I wasn't rude to the cops, they were blocking my driveway!! And you know why? So they could have a little chit-chat, not because they were actually doing anything. And as for your analogy, it wasn't "a" door, it was specifically my property they decided to block. That's something I don't do to ANYONE unless it's an emergency. Which is why I asked the cops what they were doing. My tone was very peaceful and dare I say, neighborly. But the way you torture logic and common sense here is exactly why people hate authority -- grownups don't do things like block people's driveways without a good reason! And newsflash, no cop has ever paid my salary, but I've paid theirs, so even if I was rude, which I wasn't, it's still on them to simply answer a question. I'm not talking about the cop who lied in a court case in which I was a witness, nor any of the other incidents I could list. I'm talking about a minor problem to illustrate a wider point -- police assume we're supposed to never question what they do. That's how a police state starts. Look, I'm old school, life is a racket and the cops are just one of the many powers that be you got to placate. I'm under no illusion that they're ever going to be nice, but it would be pleasant to expect them to be. But if they're going to whine about the public not like them, how about looking in the mirror and asking, "Why should anyone like me when I roll into their neighborhood and treat them like trespassers on their own street?" This is not that hard to figure out.


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