A Multnomah County judge Friday granted an indefinite stalking protective order to Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw against Oregon cop watcher Eli Richey.

Outlaw took the witness stand, and said she was alarmed and intimidated by Richey's behavior, describing how he followed her and filmed her on Dec. 8 while she was walking from City Hall back to her office in the Justice Center while she was on duty. Two days later, she said Ritchey followed her to her car in the parking garage of the downtown Safeway grocery store while she was off duty with a family member. He filmed her personal car and its license plate as she drove off, and posted the video on his YouTube site.

"If there's no action taken by the court, Eli Richey's conduct will continue,'' Outlaw said. "There's no apparent understanding of what's reasonable. What personal space is. No delineation between private life and public life.''

Richey argued that he has the right to film the chief while she's on duty and in uniform, and said he was "non-aggressive,'' and stayed at a reasonable distance in both December encounters. He argued that the two incidents cited don't rise to the level of alarming an individual or warrant a stalking order.

Deputy city attorney Rebeca Plaza represented the chief against Richey, who appeared on his own without a lawyer.

Plaza entered as exhibits Richey's own video taken of his Dec. 8 encounter with the chief, and surveillance video obtained from the Safeway store two days later.

The chief testified that shortly after she took the helm of the Police Bureau, she received a briefing about several individuals, including Richey, who had visited the homes of other public officials, such as former Chief Mike Marshman and Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill.

Portland police Officer Matt Miller, of the bureau's criminal intelligence division, said Richey's behavior in the last month, and his posting of his videos of Outlaw on his YouTube site, "shows somewhat of a fixation on the chief.''

Outlaw said she had just bought groceries at Safeway on Dec. 10 and was waiting with her grocery cart for the elevator down to the parking garage, when she heard someone say in what seemed like a friendly greeting, "Chief Outlaw,'' and turned around and was surprised to see Richey standing there. He said something to her like, "You usually wouldn't see me like this.''

The chief said she responded, "Well, we all got to eat.'' She described his expression as going from surprise to a flat effect. Then he got his cell phone out, and questioned, "Do you know who I am?''

Outlaw said she took that remark as threatening, and was concerned when Richey took the stairs down and started videotaping her as she was by her personal car in the garage. She noted that Richey is "well over a foot taller and much larger in size'' than she, and was filming both her and her family member. Her relative was conflicted, wanting to protect Outlaw but unsure who Richey was, and Outlaw said she yelled at him, "Get in the car. Get in the car.''

"I realize I'm a public official,'' testified Outlaw, who was not in uniform Friday. "I applied for this job. I signed up for this job, but no one in my family signed up for the level of scrutiny...I do recall articulating I wasn't pleased with him filming me in my private life.''

Richey questioned the chief, and asked if she was armed when he filmed her walking from City Hall to Central Precinct. She said yes, and confirmed she was walking with two male city employees, Dante James and Mike Abbaté, who she said ended up escorting her to the front doors of Central Precinct and served as a buffer when it was clear Richey wasn't going to stop following and filming her.

Richey asked the chief what her understanding is of city policy on people filming the police. "It's not illegal to film the police,'' Outlaw said.

Richey also asked if Outlaw was carrying a firearm when he saw her off-duty at the Safeway. Outlaw remained silent and stared at her lawyer, who then stood up to object to the question. "I don't think it's appropriate for the chief of police to reveal when and where she carries a firearm,'' Plaza said.

The city lawyer also gave the court a copy of a video Richey posted to YouTube on the night of Dec. 8, in which he said he was depressed and criticized the media, saying he was "coming for you,'' identifying two reporters by name. Richey countered that the video was not directed to anyone in the police bureau, and his remarks about "coming for you'' were not threats, but his plan to approach the reporters with questions he had.

Multnomah County Judge Adrienne Nelson granted the chief's stalking protective order, citing Richey's "reckless, repeated unwanted contact'' with the chief that caused her alarm. Richey also is restricted from posting any video of the chief or any of her personal information, and is prohibited from having a firearm, the judge said. The order is to take effect immediately and last indefinitely, Nelson said.

Richey is on probation stemming from a Nov. 3 criminal trespass conviction, and has been restricted from working with others who film police, such as Robert West or Chris Ponte, and must stay a certain distance from the district attorney's home and have no contact with him beyond legitimate business.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian