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Welcome to the Portland Copwatch Web Page
Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization
promoting police accountability
through citizen action.
As part of Peace and Justice Works, PCW adheres to principles of non-violence.
Copwatch is a movement, not a franchise. Check with us to see if a copwatcher you
encounter is with PCW.
EMAIL LIST: PCW sends out information, analysis and notices
3-5 times a week.
Contact us at
copwatch @ portlandcopwatch.org if you want to be added!
Call to Action
Damon Lamarr Johnson, a 52 year old Black man and U.S. Navy veteran known to have mental illness and
not suspected of having committed any crime was killed by the Portland Police Bureau in his home on June 27, 2025.
PPB sent 3 armed officers, all of whom had less than 3 years experience with the bureau.
Community members processed this at the PCCEP Listening Session on the Death of Damon Lamarr Johnson
held on July 23, 2025.
If you would like to join the Mental Health Alliance's demand that the City of Portland immediately hire an
experienced independent investigator to make an unlimited and public review of the death of Damon Lamarr Johnson,
here are the email addresses of the 12 members of City Council:
councilor.avalos@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.smith@portlandorgon.gov,
councilor.dunphy@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.kanal@portlandoregon.gov,
councilor.pirtle-guiney@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.ryan@portlandoregon.gov,
councilor.koyamalane@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.morillo@portlandoregon.gov,
councilor.novick@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.green@portlandoregon.gov,
councilor.clark@portlandoregon.gov, councilor.zimmerman@portlandoregon.gov
Here is Mayor Wilson's email address: Mayor@portlandoregon.gov
Here is Chief Day's email address: robert.day@police.portlandoregon.gov
Newsletter
Shootings and Deaths in Custody
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Oversight
Info on the Community Board for Police
Accountability
NEW! 3/25
Applications are open for the new
police oversight system.
Deadline to apply is April 14, 2025.
New Oversight System 2023:
Read about the differences between the proposed new oversight
board
and Portland's current system.
Portland City Council voted on a watered-down version of
the Police Accountability Commission's proposed changes
on November 15, 2023.
Read more:
Download a printable fact sheet comparing the 2002-present and
PAC- proposed systems!
Portland Copwatch Activities
ABOUT THE
CAMPAIGN TO END PORTLAND'S COOPERATION
WITH THE FBI'S TERRORISM TASK FORCE! (UPDATES Sept 2020)
On September 8, 2020, a
new letter demanding that Portland
fully end cooperation with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)
signed by 27 organizaions and two individuals was sent to City Council.
On January 4, 2021 PCW and other groups released a
"People's Report"
on the Joint Terrorism Task Force
suggesting that Council reject the Bureau's formal report
unless it answers important questions.
This follows the November 8, 2017, letter
signed by
23 organizations and a prominent Portland area survivor of unwarranted spying
was presented to Portland City Council asking to get the Portland Police
out of
the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
On February 13, 2019 City Council voted to pull the two officers out of
the JTTF.
On May 8, 2019 Council adopted the second
resolution which allows the PPB to work
with the JTTF on cases of terrorism "and/or threats to life including
hate crimes."
A
report released in January 2020
indicated the limited
contact with the FBI in 2019 did not revolve around terrorism.
October, 2020:
On October 9, 2020, 16 Oregon-based social justice organizations and
three prominent individuals sent a letter
to Governor Kate Brown
asking her to end the state's cooperation
with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
READ MORE
September 2022: Oregon Governor Candidate Question
Four organizations sent a question to the candidates for Governor
and
Oregon's political parties about removing the Oregon State Police
from
the Joint Terorism Task Force.
To see the results to to:
https://portlandcopwatch.org/jttf_questionnaire0922.pdf
HELP PUSH FOR A FAIR POLICE
"UNION" CONTRACT! UPDATED DEC. 2020
Portland Copwatch is part of a campaign for a
police contract that focuses on community concerns.
On December 10, 2020 a
new
letter to Council
signed by over 30 community groups was published
outlining important changes that need to be made to the contract.
This followed the 2019 letter to City
Council
released on Sept. 11, 2019.
Also read the 2019 companion letter focusing on
items which should be negotiated
-- but should not be in
the contract itself.
For more information on the campaign on the
Police Association Contract, click here.
Portland Copwatch
Statement Against
Criminalization of Anti-Fascists (8/8/19)
Check out our report back on May Day 2017
Expressing deep concerns, including over 30 stills
and video of a copwatcher manhandled by police.
Read PCW's
fact sheet on the
Portland Police Association Contract (10/24/16)
Read more on our page about the police
oversight
system including:
Portland Copwatch's analysis of the
"Standard of Review" for the
Citizen Review Committee (4/8/11-.pdf)
Information on US Dept of Justice
Agreement
In 2012, the US DOJ found a "pattern and practice" of excessive
force by the PPB.
The DOJ page on our site includes links to
documents
including:
NOW AVAILABLE FROM PORTLAND COPWATCH:
Copies of "Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse, Jr"
on DVD! (April 2014)
SOLD OUT! Jan. 2022
- but you can stream Alien Boy on Kanopy at your local library
Send
$15 check or money order
and
Copies of "Arresting Power: Resisting Police
Violence in Portland, OR"
If you send $20 to (December 2015):
Portland Copwatch/Peace and
Justice Works
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR, 97242
(Sorry, we can't accept payment for DVDs or other items via our web
donation page)
Copwatch stickers available
Hey! Would you like to have your very own Portland Copwatch sticker?
Decorate your bike, car, backpack, notebook, front porch, or whatever!
![[sticker]](/copwatchstickerimage.jpg)
Send us a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
We can send up to 8 4"x2.5"
stickers for 1 stamp.
-> Look here for announcements of upcoming
Orientations, Your Rights and the Police
Seminars
and Copwatch Trainings
Contact us if
you want us to
provide a training for your organization!
![[free
mohamed mohamud: Pioneer Courthouse 1/11/13]](/freeMM.jpg)
End FBI Stings!
Mohamed Mohamud was sentenced to 30 years in prison after
being set up by the FBI in a sting operation similar to
many
others around the nation. His January 2013 trial ended in a guilty
verdict.
Download
and read
our background fact sheet on FBI stings
(last updated November 24, 2023)
Portland Copwatch deflected from getting
meeting with Mayor Hales April-July 2014
Portland Copwatch participated in the Mayor's
Racial
Profiling Committee
from January, 2007 until it was disbanded in late
2008.
(We are monitoring the
Office of Equity and
Human Rights'
efforts to continue the work.)
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Analysis
Other Portland Police Accountability Stuff
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Reports
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Information
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On This Page
* denotes recent New info
Newsletter info
PPR #94 online 1/25*
Shootings & deaths*
Shootings list updated 12/24*
2010-2024 data on OR deadly force*
Graphic on PPB officers using df*
Analysis of 2023 shootings report
Civilian oversight info
Applications for new Board (3/25)*
Portland CW Activities
COCL downgrades review board 5/23
Analysis
Body Camera policies (posted 7/21)
Other info
12/24 Police Review Board report*
9/24 IPR Annual report
Reports
Information
Top 25 settlements(updated 10/24)
Archives
Contact info
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![[free
mohamed mohamud: Pioneer Courthouse 1/11/13]](freeMM.jpg)