It absolutely sounded legitimate. And scary. Sounds like those cops might need a re-training on using their words and making better choices.

I don't know about any of you but no matter how drunk I got if I was beaten by the police, I would probably remember it unless kicked in the head/brain damage etc. I tend to lend a greater weight of truth to this sort of account on principle that it is better to look into these types of issues no matter what. On top of that I've seen the kind of crap the cops get away with.

My "denied his tort claim", does that mean that the city just refused to pay him to settle the claim? He may still have a civil rights claim against the city, depending on what happened in the cr(The statute of limitations for a 1983 claim in Oregon is 2 years.)

Another sore point is that, even in the wake of the Chris Benoit tragedy (pro wrestler who killed his wife and son, then himself, allegedly in a roid rage), that Portland Police Bureau officers are not tested for illegal drugs, whether recreational drugs or steroids.

Prentice still has an attorney working on the earlier case.

Aaron: Police Bureau Directive 316.30 on Drug And Alcohol Testing reads as follows:

Members will be tested for alcohol or drugs whenever there is reasonable suspicion to believe that the employee has engaged in prohibited alcohol use or prohibited drug use. Reasonable suspicion will be based on specific, concurrent, articulable observations made by a trained supervisor, concerning the appearance, behavior, speech or body odors of the member.

It's a tough standard, but it's there.

Also: Back when local reporter Nick Budnick still worked for an interesting newspaper, he wrote this story on alleged steroid use in the Police Bureau:

http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3134/6459/

The officer named first in that piece, Jason Lobaugh, is still working the streets now. In fact, this complaint was made about him just recently:

http://portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=84438&category=22101

It's still unresolved.

Police just want attention. That's why they misbehave. Don't give it to them. They're like bratty, spoiled children. With guns, pepperspray, handcuffs, tasers, and super-fast automobiles.

Think about it.

You're absolutely right, Tony. 100%. All this talk of "oversight" is in fact just pandering to the Bureau's needs...

The whole thing, from top to bottom bothers me; the attitude of the police; the tone and attitude of the posters; there is ugliness shot through and through this scene.

But the underlying thing that disturbs me the most is that this man felt is was actually to take this approach to air his grievance.

Regardless of the case itself, it suggests an arrogant police department and a population that, at least in part, feels as though it's the enemy.

Regardless of whose fault the situation is, this is the situation that must be resolved in order for things to move forward.

Citizens wouldn't demand openness unless they felt that things were being hidden from them. The police, being in the position of authority, must make the first moves in healing the rather bruised trust bad faith that most people I know have in them.

Myself, I'm torn; I am a lifelong "police fan", if there can be such a thing; I watched Adam-12 and Dragnet when I was but a neat thing, and for a time thought about being a policeman myself. So those are my cards on the table.

I also grew up watching Adam-12 and Dragnet. I want cops to be heroes, and I want to respect them. The sad fact is that so many are power junkies and bullies. The constant threat of extreme violence from police creates a culture of fear that enables their control. When they get caught abusing their power, they often lie about the circumstances or simply get away with it. We, the citizens the police are employed to protect, become outraged whenever this happens but then must sit idly as they are exonerated and the story fades from public view. Remember Jim Chasse, James Jahar Perez, and Kendra James among others? I wanted to challenge people to not forget, and remind the police that they are accountable to us.

I want that flyer on a t-shirt! I'd pay for it...