By Barry Scheck on December 31, 2020
The nation’s eyes were on Oregon this summer during 100 consecutive nights of demonstrations against systemic racism and police violence. Now, the Oregon Legislature is fashioning criminal justice legislation that would make the state a national leader in reforming police and preventing wrongful convictions.
Proposed by Rep, Janelle Bynum, D-Clackamas, and the People of Color Caucus, the legislation would promote transparency and accountability by establishing a public database of police misconduct and discipline, limiting the use of force and reforming overly restrictive union contracts.
Why are transparency and accountability so crucial? Consider the sordid tale of West Linn Police Chief Terry Timeus. In 2017, as a favor to a fishing buddy, Timeus and his officers initiated a warrantless, racially-motivated arrest of Michael Fesser, an innocent Black Portland man, who was employed by the fishing buddy and had complained about a racially hostile work environment. It was only after protracted litigation that a confidential 2008 internal investigation of Timeus became public. It detailed dozens of disturbing allegations against him when he was a police lieutenant in Lake Oswego.