Volunteer Position.

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is seeking volunteers to serve on its Training Advisory Council (TAC). This council was established in January of 2012 by the Portland City Council Resolution 36912. The TAC’s mission is “to provide ongoing advice to the Chief of Police and the Training Division in order to continuously improve training standards, practices and outcomes through the examination of training content, delivery, tactics, policy, equipment and facilities.” 

Accomplishing the TAC mission.

The TAC accomplishes this mission by doing the following:

1. Directly observing and making recommendations regarding the effectiveness and adequacy of the PPB’s employee training programs, initiatives, and facilities;
2. Reviewing public safety training “best practices” and emerging training strategies and making recommendations on their applicability to the PPB;
3. Based on TAC members’ experience, research, and interviews, proposing recommendations for modifying training practices, procedures, and information used by the Bureau to guide the Training Division in order to improve the Bureau’s delivery of policing services to the community; 
4. Based on current events and member initiatives, considering endorsing resolutions brought to the table by TAC members addressed to the Training Division, other Bureau operational units, or—when deemed appropriate—other City bureaus and institutions charged with public safety; and
5. Review quarterly and annual PPB Force Analysis Summary Reports to discern patterns relevant to the training of PPB's employees and the carrying out of their duties. (Note: this review by the TAC is required by the currently in force Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the City of Portland.)[1]

Commitment by TAC members.

The TAC functions to achieve its mission by engaging in a variety of activities. For a complete description of membership requirements and functioning of the TAC, applicants are encouraged to review the bylaws.[2] The total time commitment for members, including TAC meetings, attending training activities, conducting interviews, performing research, and drafting recommendations and resolutions can range, depending on individual TAC members’ ability to commit, from a minimum of about 10 hours a month to 50 hours a month or more. Activities include the following:

1. Meeting as a group every two months to share information, receive updates from the Training Division and others, and approve recommendations and resolutions arising from the tasks it performs. These plenary meetings are (pandemic permitting) at the Portland Police Bureau Training Complex at 14912 NE Airport Way on the second Wednesday of every other month starting in January from 6:30-8:30 pm.  (Even after the restrictions due to the pandemic have passed, it is expected that online/remote options for attending these meetings will continue.) It is expected that all TAC members shall attend no fewer than four of these six annual meetings.
2. Directly observing and commenting upon PPB training activities, especially new training programs being developed. Observation opportunities may require full- or half-day commitments a couple of times a year. Links below provide access to the past three years of TAC Work Overviews. Highlights in 2021, included observations of training on crowd control procedures, Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE)[3]—the requirement for officers to intervene if fellow officers are behaving in a manner that is illegal or not conforming to directives, and core patrol procedures.
3. Being active in one of three to four task groups formed by the TAC to study an issue for improving training believed important by TAC members. Some of these issues may be proposed to the TAC by the Training Division leadership or other Bureau personnel. Each TAC member serves on one task group, which is self-organized and meets separately from the group as a whole. The task group prepares recommendations based on its findings which are brought to the entire TAC for approval or amendment. In 2021, the TAC completed recommendations based upon task forces on leadership and education. It is anticipated that recommendations on crowd control, restorative justice, officer emotional wellness, and continuous quality improvement will be completed in 2022.
4. Attending other meetings that occur from time to time.
5. When the pandemic permits, spending at least one shift per year in a “ride along” with a PPB member to observe first-hand the nature of the tasks the Bureau faces.

Application Process:

In 2022, there will be from 5 to 10 vacant positions to fill on the TAC. The opportunity to apply will be formally announced in late January, and the time to submit applications will be the entire month of February 2022 (possibly extended by a week or two). Applicants should complete the standard City of Portland Advisory Body Application Form 2022 [4], and email it to ppbtac@portlandoregon.gov, or by US Mail to: Training Advisory Council PPB Training Division, 14912 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97230.  The current application deadline is February 28, 2022.  Decisions on accepting candidates to serve on the TAC are made by the TAC Chair and the TAC Steering Committee, with the advice of Training Division leadership and the approval of the Chief of Police. 

Link to 2021 TAC Membership Roster: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/784973

Link to TAC 2019 Work Overview: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/779554

Link to TAC 2020 Work Overview: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/779555 

Link to TAC 2021 Work Overview: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/798324

Footnotes:

 [1] U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. “Amended Settlement Agreement ECF 157,” dated December 26, 2017, Paragraph 86 (page 25).  https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-document/file/1210266/download (accessed January 11, 2022)

[2] Bylaws, Portland Police Bureau Training Advisory Council. Approved September 24, 2018. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/698835 (accessed January 6, 2022).

[3] Georgetown Law, Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/innovative-policing-program/active-bystandership-for-law-enforcement/  (accessed January 11, 2022). This course is in conformity with the Oregon Legislature House Bill 2929, “Relating to police officer misconduct,” passed by both houses and signed by the Governor 11 June 2021.  Effective 01 January 2022  https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2929/Enrolled (accessed January 11, 2022)

[4] City of Portland Advisory Body Application Form 2021. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/780888 (accessed January 6, 2022). Note: this document may be revised; the year will be revised.