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One of the Portland police officer's Facebook page posts from Monday that Chief Mike Reese has ordered be removed. (Facebook screen shot)

(Facebook screen shot)

Portland Police Chief Mike Reese on Monday ordered several officers to take down images posted on their Facebook pages of the Police Bureau's badge covered with the words "I AM DARREN WILSON.''

"The image displayed does not represent this organization and was very inflammatory in nature," Reese said in a statement. "Officers certainly have a right to have and express their opinions but not using an official badge of the Portland Police Bureau. The badge represents all members of the organization, past and present, and is an important symbol in our community that must not be tarnished. I've asked the Professional Standards Division to review this matter for possible policy violations."

At least three officers had posted them on Facebook and drew the attention of community activists who shared them by Twitter with local media. The officers were Rich Storm, Rob Blanck and Kris Barber. As of 12:36 p.m., Storm still had the badge post on his page, which drew "likes" from 30 others, many of whom are Portland police officers.

It appears the words "I am Darren Wilson'' were part of a wristband put around the bureau's badge.

Michael Klepfer, who describes himself as a freelance writer, sent an image of one officer's Facebook page to The Oregonian, with the message, "This is their outreach. We know what they think.''

The officers' actions came as the Police Bureau has worked the last several weeks and assigned a commander to reach out to community groups to ensure that peaceful demonstrations follow the anticipated grand jury ruling in the Aug. 9 shooting by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson of Michael Brown, an unarmed African American teenager.

The Rev. T. Allen Bethel, president of the Albina Ministerial Alliance, said he had not seen the social media posts. "I think every person has a right to freedom of speech,'' Bethel said.

But he said the officers' statements come at a time when tensions are rising in the community and across the nation, awaiting the grand jury's ruling.

He said the officers must be careful not to incite the community, and protect their integrity.

"I see their saying of 'I am Darren Wilson,' sort of like their saying of 'I am Frashour,'" Bethel said. He was referring to Portland Police Officer Ronald Frashour, who was fired for fatally shooting an unarmed black man, Aaron Campbell, in January 2010. Frashour has since been reinstated as the city challenges an arbitrator's ruling.

Bethel said the alliance is planning a "peaceful and nonviolent'' demonstration the day after the grand jury ruling is issued, at 4 p.m. outside the Southwest Third Avenue entrance to the downtown Justice Center.

Mayor Charlie Hales issued this statement:

"We learned this morning that three officers altered images of the official Portland Police Bureau badge. Chief Reese did the right thing by immediately ordering the officers to remove these symbols, and by ordering Professional Standards Division to review this matter for possible policy violations.

We have been actively participating in collaborative dialogue with community leaders and other Portlanders on issues of police and community relations. Recently, police participated in specific dialogue related to possible reactions to the upcoming release of a verdict from the grand jury in Ferguson, Mo.

The actions taken by these three officers here in Portland do not help get us to that goal.

The officers made a political statement by altering the city's official badges. They were wrong to do so. Their actions do a disservice to the hundreds of Portland Police Officers who are building relationships and partnerships with the community every day.

I urge officers to follow the guidelines issued by my office, and by the Portland Police Bureau command staff, to work with our community in the days to come, cooperatively, and to address the very real issues of police and community relations."

Officer Daryl Turner, Portland police union president, reached earlier Monday, said he had an appointment and could not comment at that time.

Portland activist Cameron Whitten said while he believes all people have the right to free speech, he was disappointed the officers' Facebook posts don't acknowledge that someone died in Ferguson.

"Even though we have trained our police officers to look more at the issues of diversity and equity, we still keep seeing things like this,'' Whitten said. "I want to see a police force that acknowledges the life that was lost. ... It sounds like there needs to be more conversations within the Police Bureau to change the culture.''

The Rev. Chuck Currie urged the chief and mayor to make sure the officers who posted the images on their Facebook pages do not provide police coverage at any of the demonstrations that result from the grand jury ruling.

"I call on you both to remove these three officers and any others who liked their profile pictures from duty during any protests related to the pending Michael Brown decision. The officers cannot be trusted,'' Currie wrote to the chief and mayor Monday. "They have outed themselves as people unfit for service. As you both know, Portland is a better city. ''

Cory L. Murphy-Helmkamp, the director of operations at Pride Northwest, wrote a message on her Facebook page, applauding the chief and mayor for responding quickly to the officers' posts.

"As someone who works DIRECTLY with Portland Police Bureau (Portland, Oregon) and other area law enforcement, I am shocked and angered that this has happened,'' Murphy-Helmkamp wrote. "I will be following up with PPB to make sure that some actions are taken to ensure that the insensitive (sic) shown here is addressed publicly and transparently by the people we pay to serve and protect us.''

Storm was among the officers named in one of the five police encounters that the U.S. Department of Justice cited in its 2012 investigation as showing the bureau's pattern of excessive or inappropriate force.

Here's a synopsis of that case:

May 15, 2011: Officer Richard Storm went to check on an unarmed man who was standing in the rain in Southeast Portland for more than an hour. They couldn't communicate because of a language barrier and Storm went to call for help from a Spanish-speaking officer. When Storm stepped out of his car, Fausto Brambila-Naranjo "kicked at" the officer but did not make contact, the Justice Department report states. Storm grabbed his leg and threw him on the ground. As Brambila-Naranjo rolled onto his back, Storm punched him seven to 10 times in the face while the man tried to grab the officer's hands to stop the blows. After learning Brambila-Naranjo's name, Storm recalled he had been reported missing by a group home that was concerned about his diabetes, according to his police report. The Justice Department investigators noted that Brambila-Naranjo was acting in self-defense from being hit in the face: "The officer made no attempt to explain in his (report on use of force) why so many punches to the head were necessary to control the subject."

--Maxine Bernstein