Oregon state Rep. Janelle Bynum takes a photo with a Clackamas County deputy who responded to a 911 call from one of her constituents who thought she looked suspicious as she was canvassing in a Clackamas neighborhood on July 3, 2018.

The woman who called 911 on state Rep. Janelle Bynum as she was canvassing in a Clackamas neighborhood Tuesday told a dispatcher that she'd never seen the legislator before and Bynum appeared suspicious because she seemed to be spending most of her time stopped at the end of driveways with no one home on the eve of Independence Day, according to the emergency audio.

The 33-year-old woman said she watched Bynum for a half hour as she packed for a family trip. She said she saw Bynum walking from house to house "for no apparent reason," and appeared to be wearing no identification. Bynum would knock on doors, talk to anyone inside and type something on her cellphone afterward whether someone was home or not, the caller said.

The woman said she'd seen Bynum at seven other homes before deciding to call 911 around 4:50 p.m. She said she didn't talk to Bynum, but her preschool-aged son said hello to the lawmaker while she walked past their home.

"I mean, it doesn't seem she has any reason that we can tell," the woman said. "And she's just in regular street clothes, like camo pants and a white shirt and no badge that I can see."

Bynum represents House District 51, which includes the area where the 911 caller lives. The Democrat won election to the House in November 2016 and is running for a second term this fall. She is the state's only African American legislator in the House of Representatives.

The caller described Bynum as African American when asked by the dispatcher. The caller was then told that someone will be sent to investigate, and she asked to be given an update in case her family needed to return home from their trip. The dispatcher said she would put in a request for it to happen.

The Oregonian/OregonLive is not naming the woman. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Bynum told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday that she was knocking on doors and talking to residents for two hours along Southeast 125th Avenue and was stopped by a deputy on her second to last of about 30 homes on her list. The 911 caller lives along Southeast Mather Road, which intersects 125th Avenue.

The deputy who responded to the scene later put Bynum in touch with the 911 caller on the phone, and Bynum said the woman was apologetic.

Bynum said she routinely stops at homes while canvassing to take notes on her cellphone of conversations she has with residents so she can remember them. She said she only had campaign flyers, her cellphone and a pen on her at the time.

Bynum said she understood the woman's concerns but felt the woman could have tried talking to her first or contacting a neighbor to speak to her rather than calling the cops. Bynum said she didn't know the woman and had never had the cops called on her before while canvassing.

Bynum took a selfie with the deputy who responded and wrote about the incident on her Facebook page. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond Thursday to a message for comment on the incident.

Calls to police about African Americans going about their lives have gained increasing attention nationwide. Police were called to check on a boy mowing a lawn in Ohio, a girl selling water in San Francisco, a student napping at a dorm at Yale, two businessmen waiting for a meeting in a Philadelphia Starbucks and a family barbecuing in Oakland in recent cases.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey