May 19, 2003
Mayor Katz to Hold Public Review of Kendra James Shooting
What isn't news is that a Multnomah County grand jury refused to indict a Portland police officer in the shooting death of Kendra James (a story which I, regrettably, have not been following here):
District Attorney Michael Schrunk said the seven-member grand jury heard from more than 20 witnesses over five days and concluded there was no evidence to bring criminal charges against Officer Scott McCollister, 27.
But Schrunk said the Portland Police Bureau will conduct an internal review to see whether bureau policy regarding the use of deadly force was followed and the FBI has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Kendra James, 21.
What is news, however, is that Mayor Katz today also responded to this development with an announcement which I present here in full:
Statement by Mayor Vera Katz Regarding Grand Jury Decision on Police Shooting
Mayor says she will hold a public review meeting
"In reviewing the facts of this use of deadly force, we all understand that what is at stake here is the bond of trust between the Police Bureau and the community -- especially the African American community and all communities of color. This bond is the very foundation of our community policing efforts.
"It is state-mandated that the Grand Jury's process be secret, which offers little chance for public understanding. The Grand Jury's task is done but our work is far from over.
"It is the responsibility of the Police Bureau, the Chief and myself to determine if the actions of the officers involved adhered to existing protocols and regulations. We are determined to conduct ourselves in a manner that when we conclude our internal and external reviews, that people with opinions on all sides of this issue will say, they were timely, they were thorough, and they were just.
"We will hold a community review to allow invited citizens to ask questions about the investigation and the policies of the Police Bureau in order to make sure that we have not overlooked any questions or issues regarding this incident. I want to give the community the opportunity to see the evidence of the case first-hand so they can help assure us that nothing has been overlooked or ignored. I will also invite participants from the community review meeting to have direct input into the Bureau's organizational review.
"I believe a community review is necessary in this situation given that an officer used deadly force against an unarmed person. I will make an announcement soon regarding the time, place and format of that review."
All sides of this matter will read into this what they will, but expect this process to be a contentious one no matter what.
Comments (1)
Aaron on 20 May 2003
I think Vera acknowledges the unclear deadly force policy of the PPB, and that the grand jury system is antithetical to a public review of the shooting.
James' family has already filed a tort claim notice against the city for wrongful death, and I hope to join their legal team, as I'm already on Alan Graf's task force for the August 22 and March police terrorism cases.
Just because the grand jury refused to return an indictment against Scott McCollister does not mean he or the city will escape liability - just that the level of liability doesn't amount to criminal negligence.