Grace had just been recited at the St. Francis of Assisi dining hall when four uniformed Portland police officers showed up, followed by a film crew from the TV show "COPS."



About 140 homeless and low-income people -- who had come to the Southeast Portland church for a warm meal -- and the dining hall staff were stunned by the cameras and police shortly after 5 p.m. on Sept. 10.



Officers told a dining hall director that they were looking for a homicide suspect. The staff told police the man had been there earlier that day, but had left.



But the officers stayed, and "COPS" continued to film. Police questioned another man in the back of the room and looked at his ID, and even searched in the restrooms.



Pastoral administrator Valerie Chapman said she was disturbed no one had alerted her staff ahead of time that police were bringing along a camera crew, and felt they had violated the church sanctuary.



"This is private property," she said. "For us, it's about the privacy of the people and their dignity in the hall."



As the cameras rolled, Chapman said she asked officers who had given the TV crew permission to film. According to Chapman, an officer said "the woman at the door gave it."



Chapman says nobody was at the door, and no staff members gave the TV crew permission to enter.



"I was sort of dismissed," she said.



Chapman says there's been an unwritten agreement that police will notify staff ahead of time if they're trying to make contact or arrest a person they suspect might be at the dining hall.



In fact, a week later, when the man who was being sought did show up at the hall, Chapman said she alerted officers, and they came and spoke with him outside. He ended up not being arrested.



"That's the way the process is supposed to work," Chapman said. "I guess they do things a little bigger on camera. I don't get it. To be honest. I don't understand any of this. I don't watch 'COPS' TV. "



Assistant Chief Brian Martinek said he reviewed what occurred. He said the four officers and a sergeant had a legitimate reason to be there, but may not have understood how sensitive the police relationship is with the parish, which strives to be a sanctuary to the downtrodden.



"The decision to bring 'COPS' in wasn't the best, in hindsight," Martinek said.



But from his review of the footage, he said, four officers entered and described to a dining hall director why they were there. He said the interaction was casual and relaxed.



"There's no drama to it," Martinek said.



A couple of officers did walk through the dining hall, and asked a man in the back, who police said looked like their suspect, who he was, Martinek said. Another group of officers were outside and looked around the property.



Portland police, who have control over what will "COPS" will air, said the footage from the dining hall will not be aired. Police also declined to let a reporter view it.



Chapman said Central police Capt. Mark Kruger later came to the church and apologized, although it wasn't his officers and he didn't even know about it until afterward, she said. The officers involved were based at North Precinct.



After a further meeting between Chapman and police Thursday, police have agreed, unless they're chasing a violent suspect, to alert Central Precinct command staff and church staff if they're looking for someone at the dining hall and be "as unintrusive as possible."



– Maxine Bernstein

