This Week in the Mercury
Friday, November 20, 2009
News / Cops Cop Union Running "No Confidence" Vote on Sizer And Saltzman
Posted by Matt Davis on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 4:37 PM
The Portland Police Association is running a no-confdence vote on the police chief and the police commissioner. We didn't get any notice of a PPA press conference, for some reason—seriously, guys, give notice to local media already—but here's what the Tribune has this afternoon:
Ballots for a vote of a no-confidence on Saltzman and Sizer will be mailed to all 922 members of the Portland Police Association on Saturday. Results will be released on Nov. 30 and association President Sgt. Scott Westerman predicts they will show the vast majority on the union members have lost confidence in Saltzman and Sizer.Westerman talked with reporters at the association’s headquarters after the union’s executive committee unanimously voted to authorize the election Friday morning. Westerman insisted that Humphreys was following bureau procedures when he fired a less-than-lethal beanbag round at the leg of a 12-year-old girl who was fighting with another officer during an arrest Nov. 14 on a Gresham MAX station platform. Westerman says the 1.4 ounce beanbag rounds can be used in any situation when a ballistic baton cannot be used to make a resisting suspect comply with orders.
Westerman would not say whether he expects Mayor Sam Adams to transfer the bureau from Saltzman or replace Sizer if the no-confidence vote goes against them.
Update, Saturday November 21, 6:47am
Officer Humphreys has filed for "stress-related disability," writes Maxine Bernstein at the Oregonian. There's a tradition of officers who are suspended under discipline doing this, she writes. Westerman from the police union says Humphreys' suspension would be "stressful for anyone."
1
Shiiiiiiiiiit.
Looks like the seething rifts and stinking underbellies are going full frontal.
Plan!
Looks like the seething rifts and stinking underbellies are going full frontal.
Plan!
2
Let's hold a street gathering to protest the police union! We can take bets on how many unarmed people will be arrested or killed!
3
Someone named Shannon Berg sent a release about the no confidence vote shortly before 3:30. It mentioned the presser as also happening at 3:30. I work at a news channel and we got a heads up about the presser at least an hour before it happened. Not sure why they didn't let you guys know.
5
@Matt Davis: They only want the press to come if they aren't going to automatically write something bad about them. For instance, pointing out that showing up to a political event in uniform is a very bad thing probably you on the "Don't invite" list.
The police union can vote on how confident they feel about Saltzman, but given that he is a city wide elected official, their vote should have absolutely nothing to do with what happens. If it does, then it should be considered a coup, and we should apply for asylum outside city limits.
The police union can vote on how confident they feel about Saltzman, but given that he is a city wide elected official, their vote should have absolutely nothing to do with what happens. If it does, then it should be considered a coup, and we should apply for asylum outside city limits.
6
We need to immediately form a postmodern 'group' allowing people to voice 'no confidence' in 'officer' Christopher Humphreys. Quickly! To the WordPress! To the Facebook! On Twitter! On Gmail! On blog comments!
Once more unto the internet dear armchair political participants!
Once more unto the internet dear armchair political participants!
8
what is wrong with an investigation?
As a black man living in Portland, the scariest picture i have seen this year is of those policemen at the steps of the justice center. Power! Proclaimed! For all to see. a twelve year old is a child, even if she is a child and is alleged to be "persona non grata" on trimet property! The same Policeman those menacing cops on the steps showed support for is alleged to have used exessive force on Chevy Chase. how would all this have gone down if the cop was black?
As a black man living in Portland, the scariest picture i have seen this year is of those policemen at the steps of the justice center. Power! Proclaimed! For all to see. a twelve year old is a child, even if she is a child and is alleged to be "persona non grata" on trimet property! The same Policeman those menacing cops on the steps showed support for is alleged to have used exessive force on Chevy Chase. how would all this have gone down if the cop was black?
9
Yeah. Heaven forbid we expect those who enforce the law and make life or death decisions follow a couple of bad things like rules or due process. Can't have fun by beating people to death, shooting 12 year olds or mentally challenged people to death in mental health facilities if ya follow the rules.
11
Matt,
It;s time for the citizens of Portland to organize a petition for a vote of no-confidence on the Portland Police Department.
It;s time for the citizens of Portland to organize a petition for a vote of no-confidence on the Portland Police Department.
12
soooooo! r we suppose to give a big f**k what PPA does or who the hell they have "confidence" in or don't have? my world keeps on turning no matter what the f**k PPA does. how about yours?????????
13
I suspect that if you're thinking of a dainty little girl in a Bo Peep outfit with a pink bow in her hair, that's not how this girl presented herself. If you want to be treated like a 12 year old instead of a gangsta girl, dress that way! Actually, if you take a swing at a cop, and especially if it connects, I think being bean-bagged at close range instead of something more serious, like a few heavy whacks on the noggin with a club, is doing you a favor. When the parents fail the child in terms of instilling some civil behavior, too often it's left to the authorities.
14
Dear Scott Westerman - cram it. If you or your Blue Wall of Silence goons don't like it, you can go on stress disability and apply for SSDI.
15
Matt- The reason you did not get any notice is because you are NOT a member of the press. You are an opinion writer. You pretend to play "news editor/writer" but everyone that matters knows you are not.
16
As much as it pains me to say it, I think the F Matt Davis guy might be on to something. The Merc seems to function more like a special interest group that publishes a weekly newsletter than an actual news outlet.
18
If being investigated by the police makes him so stressed that he has to take disability, imagine how the girl feels for being arrested. And what about people that are arrested for murder, and instead of getting vacation, they have to sit in jail?
(Not that killing a guy gets you arrest for murder around here...)
(Not that killing a guy gets you arrest for murder around here...)
19
Faux News is reporting the following: PPB's Brett Burton may have been overheard saying the following at the Central Precinct's Locker-room...."...oh my Gawd!...I ain't going near any bus now, for look what happened to Christey, and we all know Kyle "Not-so-Nice" Nice isn't going to be thrown under any bus due to his powerful friends in powerful places....I'm
next!!!!!!....oh my Gawd!...."
And so, the beat goes on....
WE JUST REPORT IT, YOU DECIDE!
Bad Robot reporting 4 FAUX NEWS
next!!!!!!....oh my Gawd!...."
And so, the beat goes on....
WE JUST REPORT IT, YOU DECIDE!
Bad Robot reporting 4 FAUX NEWS
20
The police union tactic represents an escalation in the bargaining war for the contract renewal. It's risky because police are well paid, have great benefits, unreal retirement and collect overtime pushing them into upper middle income brackets, at public expense. A review of police salaries, benefits and overtime in relation to others with similar training and responsibility would be telling, as would the litany of officer misconduct that has been not punished, but rewarded with disability and back pay over more than 30 years.
Will Portland's economically depressed citizens take the bait? Perhaps if the officers decide they have no confidence in Commissioner Saltzman, they would like Commissioner Leonard better?
I don't know any police personally, I would bet that 95% are great, they are just swept up in a bad work culture and bad union leadership which makes their work harder and drains public respect and support.
Will Portland's economically depressed citizens take the bait? Perhaps if the officers decide they have no confidence in Commissioner Saltzman, they would like Commissioner Leonard better?
I don't know any police personally, I would bet that 95% are great, they are just swept up in a bad work culture and bad union leadership which makes their work harder and drains public respect and support.
23
Matt is in no way an unbiased reporter - he comes off looking like a brown-noser trying to get hired by the city (like Amy Ruiz) for a high-paying job with good bennies by sucking up to Sam and Randy and criticizing WW and O for not doing so. It's not okay for WW to investigate Leonard but it was okay for Amy to continue to investigate Sam, until she got that city job she was unqualified for. I call bullshit on Matt Davis!
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