As the killings and beatings continue, is it enough to simply fire pathetically incompetent Chief Rosie Sizer, or has the dept. gotten so bad it needs to be completely re-staffed from meter-maids on up? I was going to link to each case but gave up when they appeared infinite in number.
Rosie don't care, she just won a big lawsuit that boosted up when she could retire with full pension. She could walk tomorrow and get full retirement benefits. Honestly it's the police union and the lack of any real citizen oversight committee that is the biggest problem with Portland police.
There are many well run police departments in the USA, actually I would say for the most part the majority are. I sure wouldn't say that problems of Portland's police department are the same problems with others.
I've spent time around different departments. Portland cops are actually some of the more laid back guys I've met. They're less prone to the ticky tacky shit. A small town cop like Tualatin or Lake Oswego is going to be much more likely to pull you over for going five over the speed limit than a Portland cop will. With that said, of course they are going to have more shootings, more beatings, and more bad judgment. Maybe you didn't notice, but this is Portland. This is the big city. We have more crime. We have more violence. I wouldn't expect Maris to understand, he lives in smalltown USA. How much crime do you have out there Maris? Do you know the local cops by name? Why don't you let Andy Griffith and Don Knotts watch over your town? We'll let the professionals do their job here... I think other big cities have the same kinds of problems, but we in Portland have everything under the microscope.