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Quick Flashes PPR #75
Celebrate Our 25th Anniversary!!!
Dear readers: Five years ago when the Portland Copwatch (PCW) newsletter reached its 20th
anniversary, we observed: "Since late 1993, we've been publishing the People's Police Report
three times a year to bring you news and analysis about Portland's Police, laws designed to be
enforced selectively, the oversight system, and civil rights and liberties in general." We posted
cover images of the 59 previous editions; with our 25th anniversary issue, we now have covers for
PPRs #60-74 on line.
Anniversaries are good times to look at where you are and what's next. We still believe that
"while the PPB has its share of corruption, brutality and racism, things could be a lot worse if
PCW were not around." In the last few years we have taken action to stop the City from
reversing their pledge to dismantle the "48-hour rule," broken new ground by collecting data on
statewide shootings, and watched the "Independent" Police Review conduct its own investi-gations
for the first time since their 2001 inception (albeit, still dependent on the police to compel officer
testimony). We will continue to be vigilant and bring important news to our readers, without whose
support and encouragement we could not be doing this work for over a quarter of a century.
Portland Officer Uses "N" Word, County Pays Settlement; City Settles with
Bicyclist
Profiling Data Of Houseless Arrests Reveals Trends
Emanuel Price, a Multnomah County worker assigned to oversee the Metropolitan Youth
Commission, received a $200,000 settlement from the county for being fired after he complained
about inappropriate racial remarks made during a presentation (Oregonlive, July 27). The remarks
by Portland Police Sergeant Timothy Sessions (#21772)* included the use of the "N" word and a "joke" about how a Latino
man mispronounced the word-- yet the City was not named in the lawsuit. It is unclear if Sessions
was investigated for misconduct-- in part because no Police Review Board reports have been
published since November 2017.
On August 8, Portland agreed to pay Anthony Allen $25,000 for when Officer Colby Marrs
(#52826) threw Allen off his bicycle, injured him and swore at him in 2015. The lawsuit raised
issues of profiling.
The 2016 annual stop data report was released in late June 2018. It uses statistical gymnastics to try
explaining why 13-14% of traffic and pedestrian stops are of African Americans in a city that is
6% black. The Oregonian's June 29 exposé on the over-representation of houseless persons
in arrests sheds new light on profiling issues. The O shows all African Americans are arrested at
over three times their representation-- 20% of the time. When it comes to the houseless
community, African Americans make up 16% of that community, and police arrest houseless black
persons at about a 1:1 ratio. However, other people of color are arrested below their
representation: Latinx persons, 10% of that community (and the general population) make up just
6% of arrests, and Native Americans, who are 10% of houseless persons but account for 2% of
arrests. (Native Amerians are only about 1/2 a percent of the general population). Pacific Islanders
are 2.6% of the homeless community but account for just .5% of arrests.
*-His son Timothy II was let go from the Bureau in 2014
(PPR #64).
Back to top.
Legal Briefs: Supremes Uphold Cell Phone Privacy
The US Supreme Court ruled June 22nd that law enforcement need to obtain a warrant to obtain
cell phone location data (Washington Post, June 22). To convict Timothy Carpenter on
multiple
armed robberies, prosecutors obtained 127 days' worth of Carpenter's cell phone location data from
his phone carrier. This allowed them to match Carpenter's movements to locations near the
robberies. The Supreme Court decided on a 5 to 4 vote that cell phone location data could only be
obtained through a court ordered warrant requiring probable cause a crime has been committed.
The Court recognized cell phone location data provides investigators the opportunity to retroactively
scour years worth of cell phone records indicating the owner's movements (Supremecourt.gov, June
22). The Court left room for cell phone location data to be collected without a warrant in
emergencies or instances of national security.
Back to top.
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September, 2018 Also in PPR #75
• PPB Car Chase Leads to Deadly Crash
• OR Shootings Hit Annual Average by July
• Police and "Union" vs. Houseless People
• Review Committee Shunned, Seeks Change
• Oversight Report Drops Force Data
• Portland Police Collaborate with ICE
• Terror Task Force in the News
• COCL Says DOJ Agreement Almost Done
• Training Council Streamlines Processes
• Police Crack Down on Antifascist Rallies
• Chief Gets Press, Starts Strategic Plan
• Sheriff Actions: Pro and Con
• Copwatch Comments on Bureau Policies
• Quick Flashes #75
•
PPR's 25th Anniversary
•
PPB Cop Uses 'N' Word / Profiling Updates
•
Supremes Uphold Cell Phone Privacy
• Rapping Back #75
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