We are all human. We must accept that we all make mistakes. Because a mistake made by a person in authority could be easily obscured, supervision, training, oversight, and discipline are essential components to police management.
Portland, Oregon recruits police officers from all over the country. The process is complicated – and competitive with other cities and counties. Police officers are in short supply nationwide.
Prospective officers undergo lengthy background checks, medical examinations, interviews and testing prior to being hired. College degrees are helpful, but no longer essential though many officers continue their college education. Many have military experience; some are recruited for language skills or cultural background.
After officers are hired, they attend the Portland Police Bureau’s Advanced Academy where they receive extensive and lengthy training. The result of the Academy is “certification” – which allows someone to be hired by an Oregon police force.
New officers are often partnered with seasoned officers that result in another layer of education, orientation and oversight. They are introduced to their colleagues and begin to accumulate practical experience.
Officers are directly supervised by a police sergeant, who in turn is supervised by a lieutenant, who is supervised by a precinct commander, who reports to an assistant chief, who is supervised by the Police Chief, who reports to the Police Commissioner, who currently the Mayor of Portland (but can be any one of the Commissioners).
The Portland Police Bureau has an Internal Affairs Division that investigates complaints and concerns about police officers, both from citizens and from police supervisors. However, it was homicide detectives who immediately investigated what happened to James Chasse. Their findings were delivered to the District Attorney’s office and were used an evidence against the officers in a grand jury hearing. The result of the hearing was the officers were not indicted for the death of James Chasse. Immediately after the decision, the District Attorney released materials from detective’s investigation to the public. These documents are located at What Happened to James Chasse.
