These guys actually sound pretty good, but I would have taken the gig for half that pay.

Demands for police reform have gone on for so long that a sizable portion of informed Portlanders have a grasp on issues not included in the City's plea deal to avoid trial for Constitutional violations ... including psych eval services, training, police advisory boards and that which DoJ investigators described as a 'self-defeating accountability system.' (Pg. 27 of Findings.) There's an impressive body of knowledge out there, and it draws from folks in the mainstream. They work in local corporations. They participate in professional trade associations. The represent a valuable commodity.

Just as the City implements a Federal mandate, calling on citizen volunteers to commit to two years' service on a Community Oversight Advisory Board, it telegraphs that it will do what it can to tamp down public involvement.

Offering the esteemed retired Judge DeMuniz as a front man for a community liaison based in Chicago is disingenuous. Elitist in stature, his a door has long been closed to the public. Victims and justice advocates, along with the above community resources, would perform better if provided local access, guided by those with a history of outreach, deep into the hurly burly of broad community.

The City convened a citizen panel to vet Compliance Officer Community Liaison candidates. They did not forward Rosenbaum's group for consideration. By ignoring community input they sought, favoring a COCL insulated by distance and absence of local relationships, City Council is telegraphing to those now contemplating service on the COAB: local politicians will do whatever they can to minimize or stymie public involvement.

Public testimony was unanimous in opposition to City Council plans to evade or diminish Federal judicial oversight that allows public testimony. For years the ACLU, League of Women Voters, Portland Copwatch, Mental Health Association of Portland, Albina Ministerial Alliance for Justice and Police Reform, Individuals for Justice and others have trundled down to City Hall to give 180 seconds of testimony ... only to find Council does not deliberate. It merely passes legislation negotiated beforehand, behind closed doors with those in real power.

The City allows police to pre-screen those who serve on the Police Community Relations Committee, the Auditor's Citizen Review Committee and the police Training Advisory Council. In these two recent overrides of public sentiment, we realize the City continues to insulate itself from public participation ... administration after administration.

Local authority lacks faith in The People who, we believe, are ultimately responsible to ensure the Constitution is in force. To draw from broad public involvement is likely to replace the 'Independent' Police Review Division with an intelligently designed means to actually investigate police misconduct and impose discipline.

More at the link:
http://www.consulthardesty.com/observation…

It's too bad that six corporations now own about 90% of popular media in the United States, including most news papers, local radio and television studios. Back in the day, reporters used to listen to police dispatchers on scanner radios, in order to get to the scene of incidents in time to witness the police in action, and then report the story to the public within a matter of a few hours at most. Now, private citizens are infringed upon by police, not to stand and witness from the sanctity of their own front yards, let alone to record events on their own cell phones. Case in point, just the other day, a Gresham Police SWAT team with military armored vehicles brutalized such a witness.

Gresham Oregon Police assaulting me for filming drug raid that woke the entire neighborhood 9/2/2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-YwXgvtah…

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/09/08…

The Pretender
Foo Fighters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJ…

Should I See
Frozen Ghost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a50u6lcLsM…