Portland's mayor and police chief presented proposed discipline letters this morning to officers in connection with the controversial Jan. 29 fatal shooting of unarmed Aaron M. Campbell.

The Use of Force Review Board, a panel of police and citizens who reviewed the bureau's internal investigation of the shooting, had recommended that Officer Ronald Frashour, in his ninth year with the bureau, be fired for fatally shooting Campbell in the back with an AR-15 rifle.

The police union released a

indicating that the police administration is, in fact, moving to fire Frashour, going along with the review board's recommendation.

"This decision by Chief Reese and Mayor Adams sets a dangerous precedent,'' the Portland Police Association said, in a prepared statement. "It teaches us that even if Portland police officers follow the Bureau's policies and training, they act at the peril of their career if political pressure is great enough.''

The union vowed to challenge the proposed discipline.

"What cannot happen is for Portland police officers to face termination and substantial discipline for doing their jobs correctly,'' the union wrote. "If that occurs, as it has today, public safety is deeply compromised.''

Police Chief Mike Reese ,

, acknowledged he did meet with the officers and sergeants involved in the shooting and notified them of his proposed discipline. He said he's not willing to discuss what he proposed, but said that he believed "significant policy violations" occurred that led to the shooting. His office declined to release the letters of proposed discipline.

"The Police Bureau's policies are often more restrictive than the law, and that is what our internal review process examines,'' Reese said, in a statement. "My thoughts at this time are that significant policy violations occurred that have factored into my proposals for discipline. In this incident, I believe each Bureau member involved was attempting to do their best to resolve a difficult situation. However, it is my responsibility to acknowledge and address these policy violations.''

The review board also recommended that Officer Ryan Lewton, who fired six beanbag rounds at Campbell, and Sgt. Liani Reyna, who was the initial on-scene supervisor, face two-week suspensions without pay; that Sgt. John Birkinbine, who came to assist Reyna, face a one-week suspension without pay; and that Lt. Derek Rodrigues and then-Capt. Bob Day, who arrived later and were being briefed by Reyna when the shooting occurred, receive written reprimands. Day was promoted to commander less than a month after the shooting.

The discipline by Reese and Mayor Sam Adams marks the first major test of the new police administration. The mayor assumed the role of police commissioner in mid-May and handpicked Reese as his new chief after firing Rosie Sizer during a budget scuffle.

Each of the officers will have a right to a mitigation hearing before the chief to challenge the proposed discipline, before a final determination is made.

Adams said he approved the discipline Reese recommended, and had extensive discussions with the chief on the matter, but will not discuss it until after the officers' mitigation hearings.

The Rev. LeRoy Haynes, vice president of the Albina Ministerial Alliance and chair of its coalition on Justice and Police Reform, said the police shooting of Campbell should never have happened. "It happened because of negligence, a total breakdown in the command structure, a total breakdown in communications and a total breakdown in training.''

Haynes said the firing of Frashour is justified. "I think it sends a clear message to the community and the bureau that when mistakes are made they will be appropriately corrected and officers will be held accountable,'' Haynes said.

In other developments today, the chief also announced that Officer Christopher Humphreys' use of a beanbag shotgun against a 12-year-old girl on a Tri-Met platform was "consistent" with police policies and guidelines. That finding may be appealed to the Citizen Review Committee.

Aaron Campbell shooting

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Some supervisors prepped officers at roll calls Monday to expect the Campbell discipline announcement this week, and spoke of the need to stick together and focus on their jobs.

The Campbell shooting, which started as a welfare check and ended with police killing an unarmed, suicidal black man, generated national attention and sparked local outrage that fueled multiple protests and a march on City Hall.

The ordeal started when Campbell, 25, was at his girlfriend's apartment, distraught over the death that morning of his brother. His girlfriend's aunt called police, telling them that Campbell was armed and suicidal. After Campbell's death, the Rev. Jesse Jackson came to town, met with African-American community leaders and declared the shooting an "execution."

Officer Daryl Turner, president of the rank-and-file officers' union the Portland Police Association, wrote a letter to the chief Aug. 27, the day Frashour was taken off the street and placed on administrative leave. Turner cautioned Reese not to fire Frashour, saying it would be unjustified and further erode officers' faith in the police oversight system.

"If you uphold the recommendation of the Use of Force Review Board, the community will take this as an admission that Officer Frashour and the other officers involved in this incident acted inappropriately," Turner wrote. "Portland Police officers are used to inaccurate perceptions of their actions from anti-police organizations, but this time it will be at the hands of our bosses, the Chief of Police and the Police Commissioner. ... The reputation of your police officers weighs exclusively on your shoulders as you make your decision regarding this incident."

As part of the police internal inquiry, North Precinct Cmdr. Jim Ferraris wrote that Frashour should not have viewed Campbell as a threat when he fired his AR-15 rifle after Campbell had been shot numerous times by beanbag rounds while walking backward out of the Sandy Terrace apartment complex.

Turner, the union president, countered today, saying that the officers involved "reasonably believed that Mr. Campbell was armed and dangerous and that it was necessary to engage him to protect the community,'' as the grand jury determined.

"Had Mr. Campbell complied with the commands given by officers, had he not posed an immediate and lethal threat to those around him, there would have been no need to use deadly force against him,'' the union president wrote, in today's prepared statement.

A move to terminate an officer is significant because Portland cops are rarely fired, and when they are, their union vigorously fights it and a state arbitrator usually reverses the action.

A Multnomah County grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in the case, but issued a rare, stinging indictment of the bureau, citing inadequate training, lack of central command and officer communication.

The police Use of Force Review Board found that Lewton's first two beanbag rounds fired at Campbell were outside policy because Campbell was not acting physically aggressive.

Lewton told investigators that Campbell, who had his hands locked behind his head, was not following orders to put his hands up and that Lewton shot him with the beanbag to gain compliance. The next four beanbag rounds were found to have complied with policy because by then, Campbell had started running, the review board determined.

Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch said Lewton should face as stiff a penalty as Frashour because he "set the chain of events in motion."

Frashour told grand jurors that when he saw a beanbag round hit Campbell, Campbell took a "stutter" step. Frashour said he thought Campbell was reaching toward his back waistband to pull out a gun, while others thought Campbell was reaching to the spot on his back where he was hit by the beanbags. Frashour said he fired as Campbell ran for cover.

"I knew that I could not let him get cover and start shooting at other officers and myself. ... I mean it was unfortunate, I had to shoot him when he got to the edge of the car,'" Frashour testified.

Adams

to the Portland police officers for the jobs they do. "I realize these review processes are difficult for all involved. However, I am confident that these processes are integral to bolstering the trust beween Portlanders and their peacekeeping professionals.''

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