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Quick Flashes
Lawsuits Include Former Cop Refusing to Turn Blind Eye to Misconduct, Teacher Accused of
Prostitution Two lawsuits recently filed against the Portland Police Bureau continue to expand the boundaries of public perception of misconduct. In one, former Officer Lindsay Hunt, who quit after four days (detailed in PPR #43 by anonymous cop "John Brogan" in "Rapping Back"), accused Officer Quency Ho (#37608) of NE Precinct of roughing up a man unnecessarily, ordering her to destroy evidence, taking free goods from convenience stores (see below), and saying "We're the fucking police. Nobody cares. It's fine. These scrote-bags don't care" ( Mercury Blog, May 22). Hunt is seeking $100,000 in damages and $750,000 for violation of the whistleblower clause, among other things. In another suit, Ann Selby, an adjunct writing professor from Portland Community College, seeks $100,000 for an incident in which she says officers accused her of being a prostitute, allegedly fabricating evidence to support the accusation, as Selby waited for a bus on SE 82nd Avenue. When Selby showed the officers a receipt for a business transaction she'd just completed, Officer Lacey Sparling (#37631) took it from her. Selby grabbed it back and Sparling dropped her note pad, arresting Selby for harassment. The charges were dropped (Oregonian, May 15). In Lake Oswego, a jury awarded $900,000 to the family of 80 year old Elvera Stephan, who suffered from Alzheimers. Officers wrestled Stephan to the floor and cuffed her, bruising her wrists. Oddly, the suit was targeted at the nursing home and not at the officers. In April, 2006, Stephan had recently been transferred to a new home and was agitated, wandering the halls barefoot, in a state the caretakers called "dangerously aggressive" so they called the police. Stephan died in early May, 2008 (Oregonian, May 13). Cops End Free Ride on Sodas at Convenience Store As a result of Lindsay Hunt's lawsuit, an agreement dating back to Chief Charles Moose (1993- 1998) which allowed officers to get free soda pops at a 7-Eleven store on NE Weidler St was suspended, and officers were reminded that they are not allowed to accept gratuities. Moose originally set up the deal to draw police to the store and discourage prostitution and other crimes allegedly happening in the area. The store's owner denied doing anything unusual, claiming he gives out free sodas to anyone who asks (!). Interestingly, the mother of Officer Ho, the man at the center of the investigation that led Assistant Chief Bret Smith to end the policy, owns a 7-Eleven store in SE Portland (Oregonian, May 29). One Pervert Cop Forced to Pay $5000, Another Draws Suit for Underwear Stunt In a decision we believe is unprecedented in Portland, a settlement between the woman who was sexually harassed by Officer Matthew Kohnke in a homeless encampment, actions which led to Kohnke's resignation and pleading guilty to official misconduct (PPR #44), forced Kohnke to pay $5000 out of his own pocket to supplement $25,000 paid out by the City. The woman, Linda Wickerham, said Kohnke "reached down her pants and ordered her to lift up her shirt and bra, saying he wanted to search for drugs and weapons" (Oregonian, June 25). Along the same lines, a woman known only as "B.W." filed a lawsuit seeking $300,000 in damages because Officer John Wood asked her to "lift her skirt and show him her underwear" at a traffic stop (PPR #40). B.W. says the City is negligent because Wood had previously been accused of similar activity a year before her incident occurred in July, 2006 (Oregonian, June 27). Like Kohnke, Wood also pleaded guilty to official misconduct and resigned. The People's Police Report Celebrates 15 Years: 1993-2008 Friends: I've been asked to write about editing the People's Police Report for 15 years, which is more than half the lifetime of some of our members. I always think we'll stop being surprised at behavior of or comments made by Portland Police, but there never seems to be an end to the need to compile this information to share with the public. We hope you find the PPR valuable. Thanks for your support over the years--keep on reading, and watching the cops! --dan handelman
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/PPRcovers.html . On May 1, two teams of Portland Copwatch members observed police behavior at the annual May Day rally and march. There was the expected large contingent of law enforcement officers, including bike and motorcycle patrol officers, at least one unmarked car with an officer inside, the riot truck, and five mounted officers from the Vancouver Horse Patrol. While the crowd was peaceful, we noted several police-related issues. Once again, in apparent violation of ORS 181.575, some Portland police officers were videotaping the crowd with no suspicion of criminal activity. Officer Paul Ware (#37137) was, as usual, trying to get as many videos as possible of the participants in the event. Bike patrol Officer Brian Hughes (#34619) had a video camera on his helmet and was also videotaping. In violation of police directive 312.50, several officers did not have their name tags displayed upon their outermost garments. While both of these issues have previously been brought to the attention of the chief, they happen time and again. In January, two members copwatched at the weekly rally and march of Portland Peaceful Response Coalition. During the march, we happened upon several officers affecting a traffic stop on the street. Once the officers saw us videotaping, they deliberately shone the bright light mounted on their vehicle into the video camera and our faces. While the officers did have their name tags displayed, upon seeing us, they crossed their arms over their chests to obscure their name tags.
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September, 2008
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#45 Table of Contents
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