PORTLAND, Ore. — This week, the Portland City Council appointed 21 members and six alternates to the newly formed Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA), a significant milestone for police oversight in the city.
The establishment of this board follows a city-wide vote in November 2020, where voters overwhelmingly supported the measure aimed at creating an independent, all-civilian body to investigate allegations of police misconduct.
Unlike previous oversight entities, the CBPA is designed to be a governance body rather than merely an advisory council. This means the board will have the authority to conduct its own investigations into potential officer misconduct and determine disciplinary measures as deemed appropriate.
Historical oversight bodies in Portland often involved law enforcement personnel and lacked the power to enforce recommendations independently. Furthermore, prior administrations allowed the police chief and mayor to accept or dismiss recommendations regarding disciplinary actions.
The city reported that over 120 individuals applied to join the board, reflecting a strong community interest in police accountability. A 10-member nominating committee reviewed the applications and forwarded 40 qualified candidates to the city council for final selection.
While the board members and alternates have been chosen, their official roles will not commence until they complete background checks and undergo training for their new positions. The next step involves the board recruiting a director for the Office of Community-based Police Accountability, which will subsequently hire staff to support the office’s operations.
The path to this moment has been fraught with challenges. After the death of George Floyd in May 2020, then-Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty proposed the new oversight system. This move arose amid national protests calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Despite initial resistance from the Portland Police Association (PPA), which represents rank-and-file officers, the proposal gained strong public backing, culminating in an 82% approval rate in the November 2020 vote.
However, the journey towards implementation has been rocky. In November 2023, the city council ratified a revised plan for the board, although it faced criticism from advocates who had championed the original proposal. The revisions allowed law enforcement representatives on the nominating committee, which diverged from the intent of creating a wholly civilian accountability body.
The PPA attempted one final push to alter the oversight board’s powers, drafting an initiative that aimed to strip the board of its disciplinary authority and allow police members to serve on the board. They argued their proposal was necessary for a balanced approach, but this initiative faced legal challenges that delayed its progress.
In August 2024, a federal judge, under the terms of a settlement from a previous excessive force case with the U.S. Department of Justice, ruled that Portland must wait for a newly elected city council to appoint members to the board. This decision sparked significant backlash from then-Mayor Ted Wheeler, who equated the ruling to political maneuvering reminiscent of contentious congressional nominations.
Wheeler criticized the judge’s decision for allowing a future city council, possibly with a different political composition, to fulfill the oversight obligation, arguing that such a delay undermined the community’s call for accountability.
Ultimately, the judge’s ruling inadvertently paved the way for the new city council to select the members of the CBPA as they concurrently worked on finalizing the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The establishment of the CBPA marks a pivotal moment in Portland’s approach to police oversight, reflecting ongoing efforts to enhance transparency and accountability amidst calls for reform.
As the board prepares to take shape, community members anticipate its impact on policing practices and accountability in Portland.
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