IT’S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR since Mayor Sam Adams announced he
would give City Commissioner Dan Saltzman oversight of the Portland
Police Bureau, instead of taking the job himself. Adams’ choice to put
the bureau in Saltzman’s hands was not unprecedented—former Mayor
Neil Goldschmidt put City Commissioner Charles Jordan in charge of the
bureau in the late 1970s.
But every other mayor since Goldschmidt has assumed the task
themselves, and where Jordan was fearless and outspoken in taking on
the bureau—firing two cops, for example, who tossed dead possums
at an African American-owned restaurant in Northeast
Portland—Saltzman has come under heavy fire over recent weeks for
his near silence over the disappointing outcome of a three-year inquiry
into the 2006 death in custody of James Chasse, a man with
schizophrenia.
Police Chief Rosie Sizer announced at the end of September that only
one officer would be given a minor suspension—probably just a
week, yet to be determined—over Chasse’s death, telling the media
that the officers’ use of force in the case was “acceptable” [“Not
Policing Themselves,” News, Oct 1]. Saltzman stayed silent on the
inquiry, saying only that Chasse’s death was regrettable. Days later,
City Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced she planned to hire an
independent consultant to review the investigation, including why it
took so long.
The city is continuing to fight a lawsuit brought by Chasse’s
family, with city employees barred from commenting directly on it until
an expected trial next March.
Saltzman was widely viewed as Adams’ compromise choice for police
commissioner after Chief Sizer effectively threatened to quit if the
mayor’s first choice, Randy Leonard, was appointed to the job. Leonard
warned at the time that Saltzman would face “firm resistance” in any
efforts to reform the bureau. Some now feel Saltzman has fallen
short.
“Our city administrators and leaders have demonstrated they lack the
political will to enforce accountability on this issue,” said Jason
Renaud of the Mental Health Association of Portland, calling along with
other mental health groups for the three officers involved in Chasse’s
death to quit at a press conference last Thursday, October 8. “We have
more confidence that the officers will voluntarily resign than that the
city will terminate their employment, and we hope they do.”
Meanwhile the Reverend Doctor LeRoy Haynes of the Albina Ministerial
Alliance criticized the city for giving the officers only a “slap on
the wrist,” and evoked Martin Luther King Jr., saying Chasse “cries out
today from the grave for justice.”
Saltzman’s office declined comment for this story last Friday,
October 9, responding instead to the press conference by offering to
meet with the mental health advocates in private–but they
declined his invitation. Renaud says he wants to meet with Saltzman and
Chief Sizer, along with the broader mental health community, at a
public meeting.
“It’s time for him to start being the police commissioner,” says
Renaud. “And that means meeting with the public about public issues.
We’re not particularly interested in persuasion.
“If he can’t speak to the public about the public’s business,”
Renaud continues, “he needs to step aside and let someone else do the
job.”
Saltzman’s office declined to respond to that invitation by press
time, but calls for his ousting as police commissioner have also been
coming from elsewhere.
“Apparently somebody needs to nudge Dan Saltzman and remind him that
he’s the police commissioner,” wrote Oregonian opinion columnist
Anna Griffin in a column on October 2, calling for the mayor to take
back control of the bureau. Griffin declined further comment to the
Mercury.
Mayor Adams says Saltzman knew what he was getting himself into when
he became police commissioner, and denies giving him the job to
personally duck the fallout from the Chasse inquiry. Adams wanted to
focus on the economy, high school graduation rate, and sustainability,
he says—adding that crime in Portland is “as low as it was in the
1960s.”
“When I sat down with Dan to discuss being police commissioner I
reiterated that this would be a very difficult job, very
controversial,” says Adams. “He was up for the task, and he knew about
the inevitable controversies.”
“I have no intention of taking the bureau from Dan,” Adams
continues. “He has my full support as police commissioner.”
Saltzman will face a race for reelection next May, but is yet to
file for the office.
UPDATE: As the Mercury went to press, Saltzman issued a statement through his chief of staff, Brendan Finn. “I would like to establish an ongoing public dialogue with the advocates, experts, and the police bureau as to how we can address these concerns in the future,” he said.
That picture is dangerously incorrect.
Saltzman does not equal scapegoat.
Saltzman does equal goatfucker.
Mildred Schwab also was police commissioner for a time in the early 80’s.
Number Six, your comment is really uncalled for. Being Police Commissioner is a thankless job, but let’s leave name calling to the middle school playground and the OregonLive Forums.
The police commissioner needs to counter-balance the power of the police union, and their secret files, with the needs of the public for a accountable police force.
Dan Saltzman is not the personality to do that. He is quiet and seldom speaks out or confronts problems. What are Dan Saltzman’s achievements?
I send respectful emails to Sizer and Saltzman occasionally, asking them to fire the Chasse cops. I’ve tried sending resignation requests to the cops themselves, but those always bounce (even though I’ve verified with the station that I have the addresses right). I cc S/S on those as well.
Time is not dimming my anger over James Chasse’s death. I talk to a lot of people about it, and the ones who didn’t care initially often start to care once they get more of the story.
My emails are to remind the authorities that this is still a big deal to some of us, it’s not going away, and much more must be done before people forgive. I’ve never gotten a reply, btw.
Talk to ya again soon, Dan!
Well then I vote for Maurice Lucas for police commissioner.
Here’s the process of elimination. Sam doesn’t want to do it – what’s the good part? Randy shouldn’t do it. Amanda would negotiate and get spun. Nick would negotiate and get outmaneuvered. That leaves Dan. Which obviously isn’t a solution either. Which moves back to Anna’s point, and Sam’s going to have to get involved.
Here’s the upside to Sam being police commissioner; he’ll win big with his core constituency when he cracks open the question, what ever happened to community policing?
We’ve assumed, now for decades, that the PPB is moving to a community policing model. From Penny Harrington to Rosie Sizer, the promise has been personal relationships mitigate crime. And we’re farther away than ever.
In hindsight, Derrick Foxworth was a great loss.
“My emails are to remind the authorities that this is still a big deal to some of us, it’s not going away, and much more must be done before people forgive. I’ve never gotten a reply, btw.”
Well the Dan, Sizer, & the rest of those pigs are all cowards, so i certainly wouldn’t expect a reply ever! Still, you should keep it up… atleast until they ARREST you for “interfering” with offical police duties.
This story highlights a dangerous relationship that exists between a tyranical police chief and a lamely acting City Commissioner.
I am beyond incensed that this dysfunctioning relationship between a police chief and her supposed supervisor would preclude there being justice for a innocent man’s death. Horrific unjustified, criminal death. Death by the very police that were supposed to protect him – not kill him. What, I wonder is Ms. Saltzman’s “supervising”? It infuriates me to imagine he is CHOOSING to not supervise in proactive terms Ms. Sizer at all.
This city should now be focused ahead to a far more objective and fair federal civil rights jury trial (one that local thugs like D.A. Schrunk and Chief Sizer cannot manipulate) that looms in the near distance – that will view the totality of this evidence and find these sworn testimony conflicting officers guilty – once and for all – and imprison these police officers – for the strongest charges that can be brought against them. For murder.
Post federal civil rights convictions for murder there will be nothing for D.A. Schrunk to be able to “excuse” away in any of that. And there will be nothing more for Chief Sizer to try to deflect upon innocent victim Mr. Chasse ever again in that verdict, either. Only the truth – standing alone. And standing testament to what truly happened. And finally allowing a murdered man a respectful measure of long overdue justice.
Is the text of the actual investigation of this matter available anywhere?
I would like to see the written report.
It’s obvious, at least to me, that this country has turned into a quasi police state.
Police have unprecedented power and are never to blame when things go wrong.
Even in so called “lefty” Portland we have a right wing police force.