Blogtown, PDX

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

News Independent Police Review: 197% Worse?

Posted by Matt Davis on Tue, Mar 11 at 1:02 PM

Copwatch’s new financial analysis of police accountability settlements by the city from 1993 to 2005 shows the Independent Police Review may, in fact, have led to 197% less police accountability, not more of it.

City Auditor Gary Blackmer, who ran the IPR until the mayor seized control of it from him two weeks ago, has repeatedly claimed that a drop in excessive force complaints, shootings, and profanity complaints show that the IPR has been effective since it took shape in 2002.

However, looking at the payouts in anti-cop lawsuits from 1993-2005 (the most recent year for which complete statistics are available) it appears that the city paid 197%, or nearly double the yearly average, in 2003-2005 to what they paid in the 10 years prior to that. The average payout from 1993 to 2002 was $383,906.90, whereas the average payout from 2003-2005 was 755,770.36, a 197% increase.

Copwatch activist Dan Handelman has also accused city auditor Gary Blackmer of making “schoolyard digs” at the author of a damning report criticizing the way he ran the Independent Police Review, in a defensive attempt to divert attention from the issues presented by the consultant’s work.

Handelman says both Blackmer and former IPR Director Leslie Stevens, who has since left to work for the police bureau, have made comments that “seem like schoolyard “digs” at the credibility of the Consultant, Eileen Luna Firebaugh;” for example, Auditor Blackmer wrote in his response to her report, “I certainly hoped for a better product for the City’s $60,000,” adding, “very little here is new or valid.”

Blackmer is continuing to refuse comment from this reporter, after calling him “despicable” and saying “fuck you” at city hall, in an apparent dispute with news editor Amy Ruiz’s interpretation of what, exactly, constituted “declining comment” on a story about cop shootings, broken down by race. Blackmer sent an email to all city officials saying he would no longer be giving comments to Matt Davis of the Portland Mercury. He is yet to apologize for his bizarre behavior during the incident, or revise his position over commenting to this specific reporter.

City council will sit down to discuss making changes to the IPR next Tuesday, March 18, at a session closed to public comment—itself the cause of protests by police accountability activists. As of yesterday, it was unclear whether Luna Firebaugh would be coming to council to give testimony on the report, as was originally planned. “Put it this way. I don’t have any plane tickets,” she told the Mercury on the phone just now.

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Comments

If you're going to have a go at the city auditor, someone who by definition must be kind of good at it, it might help to get your maths right. 197% less accountable means that the accountability now stands at -97%. I'm not aware of the existence of negative accountability...

(OK, petty pedantry over for the day)

Posted by Stu | March 11, 2008 2:57 PM

No no, Stu. You're right. Does this mean the office is "doubly as unaccountable" or simply "twice as bad?"

Posted by Matt Davis | March 11, 2008 3:04 PM

In This Thread:

Matt display another facet of the brilliant diamond that I like to call "why Matt Davis should not have a job". This sort of stupidity would get you kicked off a college paper...

Posted by Nicolene | March 11, 2008 4:51 PM

Yeah, I'm a fan of your coverage Matt, but this constant harping on the Auditor (fuckwit he may be) is getting old. Simply make a single final post updating the situation about The Auditor and then just hyperlink to it whenever you write his name. To keep writing about it time after time makes you look whiny and petty. Like him.

Posted by NotACop | March 11, 2008 5:07 PM

When the auditor calls to apologize, I'll back off. Until then, do you think this is the kind of behavior we should tolerate from our elected officials?

Bag on the right man, for once.

Posted by Matt Davis | March 11, 2008 5:21 PM

Here's some math:

The post contains a total of 426 words. The paragraph detailing your problems with the Auditor contains 91 words. That means that in the post 21.36% of the words were dedicated to the auditor being rude to you.

The question you should ask yourself is whether your beef with the auditor is really 21.36% of the story. I don't think it is. I would rather that you spend your research and writing time dealing with new, interesting information related to this important issue. You can and have and will do good work. But move on with the whole auditor thing because we get it: The auditor is a dick. He is rude. Conduct unbecoming and all that. But how about a writer that keeps writing the same paragraph in every story or post? Especially in every story or post relating to the auditor's job and the totally bogus IPR. In a review of the overall situation of police misconduct and a lack of oversight in this city some stupid auditor cursing at you is the least of the issues. They are literally getting away with murder and you keep making the story about your bruised ego. Stick to covering the bruised body parts and why no one cares that they are bruised.

Posted by NotACop | March 11, 2008 5:41 PM

Yeah, Matt... Seeing as you're such a fine example of someone that apologizes when they fuck up, post 5 certainly makes a lot of sense.

Posted by {eyes rolling} | March 11, 2008 7:03 PM

The Merc would be a legit news outlet if Matt Davis worked somewhere else. Try more reporting and less self-gratification.

Posted by Casey | March 11, 2008 7:19 PM

Hmmmmm......

The report is interesting and a pretty good example of what reporting is supposed to be about!

Posted by AL M | March 11, 2008 7:57 PM

And Casey, I don't fire people for being annoying. If I did, I'd fire you from the internet.

Posted by Wm. Steven Humphrey | March 11, 2008 8:08 PM

pleeze ignore the so-called "advice" of "notacop" (who probably really is...?) and keep on jacking up Blackmer's nasty ass for all WE THE PEOPLE to see it for what it exactly is.

without your constant putting it before us, we'd simply get caught up in the rush of life and forget what a sorry piece of work this dude really is.

so keep on harping away and just hector their damned asses till they hop to suit us.

Posted by not a fan of Blackmer | March 12, 2008 12:47 AM

Another inaccurate headline from Matt Davis. Why am I not surprized?

Leave the math to someone else, Matt. A 100% increase is a doubling, a 197% increase is roughly a tripling.

Oh, and leave the reporting of facts to someone else as well since the Auditor still oversees IPR. The Mayor's proposal to take over control requires a majority vote of City Council.

But you are getting much better at quoting Dan Handelman. Must be all the practice.

Posted by amy | March 12, 2008 9:25 AM

"Matt Davis ate my baby."

Posted by Matt Davis | March 12, 2008 9:53 AM

I'm not saying fire the guy or even that he's annoying (I think he is, but that's neither here nor there). All I'm saying is that it doesn't speak well for the Merc that someone who seems to have such little regard for accuracy is employed by your publication.

Posted by Casey | March 12, 2008 10:06 AM

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