The Rap Sheet is the official monthly publication of the Portland Police Association. The Rap Sheet is the only publication of its kind that represents the interests of men and women working in law enforcement in Portland.

Editor's
Statement

Rap Sheet Editor, Sergeant Peter Simpson
by Rap Sheet Editor,
Sgt. Peter Simpson

The close of 2009 and the first weekend of 2010 was a difficult one for many members of the Bureau. We lost Sgt. Craig Mendenhall suddenly to a heart attack. “Mendi,” as he is known by his friends, is survived by his wife, Teresa, and their four children.

Mendi’s death came on the heels of the tragic murders of a Seattle police officer, four Lakewood police officers and a Pierce County deputy. Many members of the Bureau attended these funerals—back to back to back to back.

Death has a way of bringing people together. I think many of us felt under siege toward the end of last year due to senseless murders and our own internal discipline issues that erupted into a historic march on City Hall.

Through our grief and frustration, we rediscovered our common bond. We are cops. We do jobs nobody wants. We work long, crazy hours and ask for more.

Truth is, 2010 will most certainly see more grief, more change, more frustration. My hope is that 2010 will also see a continued growth of our common bond.

There are a lot of amazing cops working around you right now. Not just that they can leap tall buildings in a single bound (some can…), but they are amazing people with a back story and a love for this job. This is their dream come true.

Get to know your fellow officers better. Take time to learn their stories and why they work next to you. These are your brothers and sisters who will be there for you when you need them.

Don’t worry about what the media says about you. It would be nice if they got it right all the time, but they don’t and they never will. Their job is to sell ads and papers, not tell the truth.

Don’t let the politicians dictate your job satisfaction. They’ll never do the grunt work. Take it all with a grain of salt and continue to do the great job you do every day. You’ll be here longer than they will.

Take care of each other. Cover your fellow officers when they don’t ask for it. Show the bad guys that when they mess with one of us, they get the whole bunch of us. We’re never alone.

Stay safe.

Court decisions undermine officer safety

The end of 2009 saw two major court decisions that will ultimately get officers hurt. The first was the Oregon Court of Appeals’ unbelievable decision which essentially says it is legal to resist arrest if the person believes the force being used or about to be used is excessive.

The problem is how do you define “excessive” in this case? The reasonableness standard really doesn’t get to what “excessive” means. We all know that in Portland a stern look can be taken as “excessive” by some. Does that mean they can resist arrest?

And what about “force about to be used?” What kind of standard is that?

Talk about taking a clear line and blurring the heck out of it! My hope is that this decision is appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Oregon is the only state in the country that says it’s legal to resist arrest.

The second decision came out of the Ninth Circuit (Circus?). This decision essentially changes the situation in which a Taser can be deployed. We are still waiting to hear what that means for us in patrol, but it further adds to the confusion about what we can and cannot do.

The Taser is one of the best nonlethal tools we have. Injures are very low and compliance is high. Does it hurt? You bet. But when it’s over, it’s over.

Pepper is the gift that keeps on giving and can adversely affect the police officers trying to make an arrest. The Taser is quick, easy and effective at ending violent and potentially violent confrontations without injury.

How’s this for a scenario: The Taser deployment fits within the Ninth Circuit’s ruling that “the suspect poses an immediate threat to the officer or a member of the public,” but violates the Oregon Appeals Court ruling because the suspect may “reasonably” believe the force is excessive. It could happen here in the Republic of Portland.

We’ll see what guidance our City Attorney has for us on these rulings.