Police rally support for suspended officer

Union members gather outside City Hall to blast disciplinary decision on Christopher Humphreys

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Nov 24, 2009, Updated Nov 24, 2009

L.E. BASKOW / Portland Tribune

Members of the Portland Police Association rallied Tuesday morning outside City Hall to show support for Officer Christopher Humphreys, who was suspended last week pending an investigation into a beanbag shooting of a 12-year-old girl who was resisting arrest on a MAX platform.

Hundreds of police from Portland and other law enforcement agencies in the region rallied Tuesday morning in support of Officer Christopher Humphreys and in opposition to the decision last week by Police Chief Rosie Sizer and Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman to suspend Humphreys pending an investigation into a beanbag shooting of a 12-year-old who was resisting arrest on a MAX platform.

Members of the Portland Police Association, the union representing rank-and-file officers, rallied outside Portland’s City Hall to protest Humphreys’ suspension. Speaking to the cheering crowd, Sgt. Scott Westerman, the union president, called the suspension politically-motivated and asked Portlanders to stand behind Humphreys and all other law enforcement officers in the region.

"This is not about one incident, one officer, one chief or one commissioner. It's about public safety," said Westerman, arguing that Humphreys had not violated any police policies by using less-than-lethal force to help Officer Aaron Dauchy arrest the girl for riding a MAX train after being excluded from the transit system.

The results of the no-confidence vote should be announced Nov. 30. Westerman said that if they go heavily against Sizer and Saltzman, it means the police no longer have any confidence in the leadership of the Portland Police Bureau.

"I want Mayor Sam Adams to think seriously about what that means," said Westerman, who declined to say whether he wants Adams to take over the bureau or assign it to another council member.

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