A Portland Police Bureau investigation concluded that one of its officers did not violate professional conduct directives when he joined the Oath Keepers in 2018. A monthlong internal affairs investigation that concluded in December confirmed Officer Joseph Webber joined the militia. In an interview explaining his membership in the group, Webber told investigator Stacey Rovinelli that 2018 “was kind of hard times for law enforcement.” “I heard they were pro-law enforcement,” Webber told Rovinelli. “So, I looked at their website, nothing bad because I’m obviously, like, trying not to associate with anything bad. They looked okay. They were pro-Constitution and things like that.” The Oath Keepers are an anti-government militia group founded in 2009 that recruits people with experience in law enforcement and the military to prepare for what the organization characterizes as an inevitable armed conflict with the U.S. government. The Oath Keepers have faced intense scrutiny for years because of extremist activity, but that attention reached a new height after federal prosecutors alleged the group helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. This week, the U.S. House committee investigating the attack revealed startling details about the group’s efforts during the insurrection, including that they coordinated with the Proud Boys and Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. Court records have also revealed the Oath Keepers brought explosives to D.C. prior to Jan. 6 and staged an armed quick reaction force just outside the city. The investigation into Webber was prompted by an OPB investigation of leaked Oath Keepers membership data that revealed over two dozen current and former law enforcement officers in Oregon had joined the group since its founding. While speaking to investigators, Webber said he found nothing useful in the Oath Keepers’ website forum and did nothing further with the group. He denied still being a member. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and 10 others have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the insurrection. Two pleaded guilty, while Rhodes and eight others pleaded not guilty. In the internal affairs investigation, Webber described the militia’s role on Jan. 6 as “dumb stuff.” Portland city officials initially denied a public records request to review the police bureau’s investigation, arguing it was exempt from public disclosure because Webber was not disciplined. “Airing such investigations when there have been no findings of misconduct only serves to demoralize City employees,” Deputy City Attorney Fallon Niedrist argued. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt disagreed, finding the public interest outweighed “the minimal, if any, additional invasion of privacy that will be caused by release of the investigation report in this case.” The bureau’s professional conduct directive calls on officers to “refrain from conduct that unduly affects Bureau operations or unduly erodes public trust.” https://www.opb.org/article/2022/07...ears-officer-who-joined-oath-keepers-militia/
“The question here is whether his membership, alone, in the Oath Keepers is a violation of the directive,” Rovinelli wrote, saying his $50 membership in the group did not affect Bureau operations or erode public trust. “I do not believe that one day of membership to view informational forums and not participating in any events constitutes unprofessional conduct.”
And bullshit he didn't know anything about them so that's why he paid the membership fee to view their forums.
