Statement by Chief Rosanne Sizer on settlement of Chasse civil suit
Nearly four years ago, James Chasse died in the custody of Portland Police officers. I and members of my organization felt horrible about his death. The Portland Police Bureau has spent the last three years identifying what went wrong and fixing those issues through improvements in policy, training and practice.
I am relieved by the settlement of this case. And I believe that the Chasse family deserves compensation for their loss. I hope that James Chasse’s family also takes some comfort in the changes that the Portland Police has made. I believe that the settlement will help to bring closure to all involved parties as well as the community.
As Chief of Police, I have been frustrated by my inability to address this matter publicly due to the ongoing litigation. I believe that the Portland Police Bureau and the individual officers have been unfairly demonized. James Chasse’s death was a horrible accident and not a “beating death.” That’s what the Bureau’s investigation showed, and nothing in the litigation proved otherwise. The independent witnesses do not describe a rain of blows by Portland Police officers. The medical experts did not agree that the cause of death was the result of a beating. James Chasse’s death was an accident, a terrible, tragic accident.
Matt Davis was news editor of the Mercury from 2009 to May 2010. More by Matt Davis
Wow. All of these years of education and I don’t even know what an accident is. I thought it was like, something you couldn’t control. Like when you slip on the ice or slice your finger with a paring knife.
I didn’t know that punching and kicking someone and then denying them any medical care could be an accident.
^ agreed
^ Double agreed
^ Triple agreed
The dictionary shows us an accident is the ‘undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty’
Some one please show me where they punched and kicked him. Read facts and not what you want to think may have happened.
26 breaks in 16 ribs, massive internal bleeding and a punctured lung?
Oh, and there’s this:
“Nice kicked Chasse in the chest and armpit area.”
from
http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonianextra/…
Read facts and not what you want to make up to trash-talk commenters on a blog.
For good measure, D, I meant to also include this from the 2006 article:
“Humphreys told detectives he struck Chasse in the head again with a closed fist when he saw Chasse try to bite him again.”
Wasn’t there some video of the officers having a laugh at the jail as they bragged about how they “took him down”?
Wow, didn’t know murder could be “accidental”..
My point is if it was murder/intentional death they would be prosecuted for that.
The punch and kick were not in the autopsy/cause of death.
The PoPo sure do seem to have a lot of “accidents”.
There is a simple test: If you, or I, or a bouncer at a bar, or a security guard at a grocery store took the same actions, would the police say “it was an accident”? Of course not.
The video of the officers laughing about it and then dragging a hogtied man with many broken ribs out the door when the jail nurse says that they won’t book him because he is so injured (‘by accident’ right Rosie?) can be found here: http://videos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/200…
Skip up to the point at about 10:20 in the video to see how they may have accidentally punctured his lung with his broken ribs.
Sizer makes me sick. Thankfully, she’ll be out of the chief’s office by the end of the summer.
Bojack nailed it: http://bojack.org/2010/05/portland_cops_st…
Rosie says “…I believe that the Portland Police Bureau and the individual officers have been unfairly demonized. James Chasse’s death was a horrible accident and not a “beating death.” That’s what the Bureau’s investigation showed, and nothing in the litigation proved otherwise…” and we need to remember that what we saw on the film shown repeatedly is at considerable odds to Rosie’s recall and we also need to remember that as the most to loose in all this “litigation” was her and her dumbassed minions and they aren’t in the least bit above “selective remembrance” and outright lying to further their cause(s) and that we must temper any and all things said by this dizzy gal–who, Praise God, is short-timer at PPB with days clocking by till she’s gone–by WHAT WE SAW, not by what they say we saw!
Rosie Sizer should be sent to live with the very, every, criminally insane.