PPB Announces New Procedure Regarding Release of Information

December 09, 2022 12:52

  Follow @PortlandPolice

The Portland Police Bureau is enacting a new procedure for the release of information following incidents involving a use of deadly force by members or in-custody death. Effective immediately, the identity of Bureau member(s) involved shall be released within 15 days, absent a credible security threat.

Chief Chuck Lovell will issue an Executive Order outlining this new procedure, pending the modification of PPB Directive 1010.10: Deadly Force and In-Custody Death Reporting and Investigation Procedures, specifically Section 9.8. The full policy language is available here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/656780 . The change does not impact any other section of the directive. The change was made in consultation with the Portland City Attorney's office and the United States Department of Justice.

"This new procedure strikes the right balance between transparency and the security concerns of our PPB members, and I am grateful for the patience of our community as we carefully considered this policy change," said Chief Chuck Lovell. "No matter the circumstances, a police use of deadly force incident has wide-reaching impact on the community member involved, that person's family and friends, the wider community, and of course the PPB membership. We owe it to everyone to enact a fair policy that considers them all. I believe this policy change is reasonable and responsible."

PPB has withheld the names of officers involved in deadly force incidents since July 2022 after credible security threats came to light related to the doxing of PPB members. The FBI launched an investigation into those security threats and requested PPB temporarily hold any release of officer names. The FBI has notified PPB that the investigation has concluded, allowing for the implementation of this policy change.

With this new procedure, the Portland Police Bureau is releasing the names of members that were previously unreleased amidst security threat concerns.

July 27, 2022, 100 block of Southeast 126th Avenue, Officer Joshua Dyk, a 4-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, was involved. This case is currently being reviewed by the Multnomah County District Attorney. Officer Dyk remains on administrative leave.

August 16, 2022, Southeast 80th Avenue and Southeast Lambert Street, Sergeant Charles Elam, a 13-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, Officer Amy Li, a 5-year veteran of PPB, and Officer Christopher Baten, a 2-year veteran of PPB, were involved. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and issued a memorandum stating the officers' actions were not criminal. Sergeant Elam and Officer Li have returned to duty. Officer Baten resigned from PPB on September 30, 2022.

October 14, 2022, Southwest 12th Avenue and Southwest Jefferson Street, Officer Jonah Gellman, a 3-year veteran of PPB, was involved. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and issued a memorandum stating the officer's actions were not criminal. Officer Gellman has returned to duty.

November 7, 2022, Harrison Park at Southeast 84th Avenue and Southeast Harrison Street, Officer Erik Daniels, a 23-year veteran of PPB, Officer Joshua Howery, a 21-year veteran of PPB, and Officer Mark Piombo, a 16-year veteran of PPB, were involved. This case is currently being reviewed by the Multnomah County District Attorney. The officers remain on administrative leave.

November 19, 2022, 2900 block of Southeast Steele Street, involved member was Officer Christopher Sathoff, a 4-year veteran of PPB. This case has yet not been reviewed by the Multnomah County District Attorney. He remains on administrative leave.

All of these listed incidents are currently under internal review, which is part of the use of force review process. The Bureau conducts an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.

This graphic is a summary of the process timeline: https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2022/use-of-deadly-force-timeline.pdf .

Once the entire investigation and legal process is complete, the investigative files and any grand jury transcripts will be posted on the Bureau's Open Data page. Information available about past officer-involved shootings can be found here: https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/ois .

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