April 01, 2004
(Updated) The Problem With Officer Jason Sery
Two Reports Reveal Controversial Past
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
Perhaps it's not merely that the shooting death of Jahar Perez happened less than a year after the shooting death of Kendra James which prompted the nearly-universal approval of calling a jury of inquest. Two reports today reveal that the officer who shot Perez has something of a history.
First, today's Oregonian reported on some of Sery's previous encounters, and hits hard from the opening paragraph:
Three weeks ago, Portland police Officer Jason Sery pulled his gun on a 24-year-old man who was standing with his hands in his pockets in the middle of North Lombard Street, according to his report on the incident.
While the article says that two of Sery's supporters describe him as "a conscientious officer responsive to community concerns about drug dealing and gang activity," it also reports the following:
But three Portland residents, including the man stopped on Lombard Street, said their recent encounters with Sery over minor infractions quickly escalated into heated confrontations or physical struggles. Portland police records show Sery has had one internal affairs complaint against him; it was not sustained.
The two supporters quoted by the article are a police supervisor, and a member of one of Portland's neighborhood associations -- not necessarily the sorts of people likely to have ever been in a situation where Sery might exhibit less than stellar behavior. Click through for details on the critical stories told by the three Portland residents mentioned aboved.
In addition, the article reports that Sery "got a "borderline do hire" recommendation on his psychological test" before going to work for a police department in Montana.
But wait, there's more.
Found via this item from Jack, there is also this KGW/AP item which adds one more spot on Sery's record:
The city of Portland paid out $5,000 in February to resolve a federal civil lawsuit alleging excessive force and assault by police Officer Jason Sery, who investigators say shot and killed an unarmed black driver during a traffic stop Sunday in north Portland.
Less than a week has passed since Jahar Perez was killed while sitting in his car, seatbelt fastened. And already two local news outfits have uncovered evidence of a rather checkered past for Officer Jason Sery. One shudders to think what else will come out by the time we get around to the inquest and the grand jury afterwards.
Update
Some other items of relevance to this case which have arisen today. First off, the autopsy results on Perez were released today:
An Oregon state medical examiner said he found high levels of cocaine in the bloodstream of the man shot and killed by a police officer in North Portland last weekend.
KGW has also provided a copy of the report (pdf) should anyone want to read it.
Also today (in an event we missed because we weren't by a computer when the notification came in), the NAACP has requested of the U.S. Justice Department a probe of the Portland Police Bureau:
"Portland is not a safe place for its minority citizens -- at least that's the perception," said Oscar Eason, the president of the NAACP's state conference encompassing Oregon, Washington and Alaska. "This city is in a state of fear as it relates to minority interaction with the police department."
For what it's worth (although we're trying to confirm this), the candlelight vigil scheduled in North Portland for tomorrow has apparently been postponed until a later date.
Comments (14)
brett on 02 Apr 2004
Not good news for Officer Sery. Still, keep in mind that $5,000 is low enough to have been a nuisance settlement - the kind the city pays in lieu of having to fight a bogus or borderline claim. If there was actual malfeasance, the settlement would likely have been much higher.
miked on 02 Apr 2004
Please. Howabout a headline like The Problem with Jahar Perez. With crack in his mouth, crack in his pocket and crack in his blood stream... oh wait, that's wouldn't policially correct in this town...
The One True b!X on 02 Apr 2004
Until the past few hours, nothing was known about Perez's condition at the time of the traffic stop. Forgive me for actually being away from the computer and unable to post such information the precise moment it was released. From now on, I'll never leave my house or computer. Will that satisfy you?
miked on 02 Apr 2004
My comment wasn't based on the timeliness of your post so you can leave off the pity-party.
My comment is based on the fact that the media rushes into the background of the Officer Sery with an anti-cop bias but Perez is portrayed as "trying to overcome his troubled past."
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1080910856297910.xml
Of course this is a terrible incident. And clearly it was handled incorrectly but for the major media in this town to run with the idea that Officer Sery is a out of control cop and Perez was a felon with a heart of gold is inexcusable and unfortunately...typical.
And your headline (and those of the Oregonians) really BUG me!
Jack Bog on 02 Apr 2004
The last time I checked, there was no death penalty for possession of cocaine. The firing squad had been abolished. And the police were not judge, jury, or executioner.
The character of the victim's "heart" is 100% irrelevant. But the officer's self-control (or lack thereof) is relevant -- in fact, it's the only issue.
Ran_Dem on 02 Apr 2004
"Of course this is a terrible incident. And clearly it was handled incorrectly... " nuff said. The term 'Politically correct' should not be used as a bludgeon to end discussion or to stop investigating the issue. Not for the sake of the man shot, not for the sake of the officers.
The One True b!X on 02 Apr 2004
Yeah, what Jack said. Truth be told, the reason I didn't run with the "they found chunky white stuff" before any results from the medical examiner were released was because we went through similar smears during the Kendra James shooting -- and indeed Lars Larson has already started in on Perez.
Notice that today's newspaper reports say that a mere 24 seconds passed between pulling Perez over and his being shot by Sery. That's insane. And I am very, very skeptical that there's any acceptable basis for it.
And certainly, the fact that Perez was a drug user isn't going to be one of them.
It isn't about political correctness. It's about being tired of the smear campaigns that are always waged against the victims of officer-involved shootings.
myrln on 02 Apr 2004
Yeah, let's not feel any human repugnance when a wholly unarmed man is shot dead by a cop whose first instinct is to do harm. After all, the suspect might have thrown some coke, one of those deadly weapons all suspects carry whether they really do or not.
Torridjoe on 02 Apr 2004
I am usually quick to question the use of force by police, and when examining the surface situation from the early reports, this looks like another case of quick police judgement.
However, if you're going to use the background of the cop to suggest that he's hot under the collar, in fairness you must do the same with the subject. Drug or theft charges don't bother me too much (relatively), but when you have a history of both assault and physical encounters with police, I think that's relevant.
A sad story all the way around. Any investigation into the work record of the police officer is entirely justified. But give n the corresponding history of the deceased, the powder keg appears to have been packed on both sides of the conflict.
Temple A. Stark on 02 Apr 2004
We're missing you over at Political State Report.
http://www.polstate.com
You started with one post 30 days ago ... and then nothing.
But you've obviously been keeping up.
Good stuff.
The One True b!X on 02 Apr 2004
I have a nasty habit of trying to add extra little side projects and then not being able to wedge them into my schedule. I haven't forgotten -- I just haven't yet figured out how to include it.
Rob on 02 Apr 2004
After listening to Lars Larson for the past two days discuss with his predominantly (jump on your leg) faithful the recent officer-involved shooting of an unarmed man in North Portland, I am sick to my stomach! Larson and his faithful want us to believe this was a justified shooting.
Based on what we know at this point, I strongly disagree! First, I think it appropriate I tell you I am the son of a retired Police Officer, and the nephew of a now deceased Portland Police Captain who commanded North Precinct for many years. I am all to familiar with many police procedures, not to mention the fear and apprehension that goes through every officers mind when he puts on that uniform and reports for work, not knowing if today will be his last. My father and uncle always seemed to associate only with other law enforcement types. I eventually learned it was difficult for them to associate with anyone else because when they donned their uniforms and fastened their gun belts, every single one of the rest of us became that potentially dangerous suspect who could bring their lives to an end in that one unsuspecting moment. I grew and learned to understand that it’s a tough, dangerous job, but that’s what they signed up for. They were proud to risk their lives each day for the rest of us.
What I find so disconcerting for the moment is why hasn’t Officer Jason Sery who fired the fatal bullets into James Jahar Perez, issued any kind of formal apology to the victim’s family? We are being led to believe that he was justified in his actions, so why is he being so tight-lipped that he can’t even offer his condolences to the family of the victim? Could it be that this shooting wreaks of controversy, and he’s only interested in how he’s going to save his butt? Who knows, but he definitely needs to accept responsibility for his actions, justified, and especially unjustified.
Let’s review some of the information we’ve received thus far……Perez was pulled over for failing to signal. By beat neighborhood cops? The cops I grew up around usually wouldn’t waste their time dealing with simple traffic infractions. They would save that for the motorcycle cops, State Police or other units specifically designated for traffic, unless……they recognized the suspect, and conveniently used the infraction as an excuse to pull the vehicle over in order to see what a known felon might be up to. In today’s Oregonian, a story entitled “Officers will face a public inquest”, by Maxine Bernstein, states police said there was no indication that either Officer Jason Sery or his partner, Officer Sean Macomber knew Perez’s identity before the shooting.
That’s very hard to believe! You have a felon who is on parole with convictions for drugs, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer, and whose family lives just down the street from North Precinct headquarters, and two five-year veterans of the police department hadn’t recognized him? A guy known for resisting arrest and assaulting police officers. Sorry, but for cops, those are the ones you do remember!
It’s been reported the entire incident didn’t last much longer than one minute from the time Perez’s vehicle was pulled over until he was shot. Why then, in that short amount of time, did these officers allow this situation to escalate as quickly as it did over nothing more than an unlicensed driver with an attitude who failed to signal? Are we to believe these serious infractions were justification for an officer to have his weapon drawn, and another standing by with a taser in hand? Not to mention their attempts to physically remove Perez from the vehicle in order to place him under arrest. All this for a suspect that the police department contends hadn’t even been identified yet? Not only that, it appears the officers allowed Mr. Perez to orchestrate the series of events with his bad attitude. Allowing their emotions to get the best of them, and instead of using their training in an attempt at diffusing the situation, actually contributed to it’s escalation. A bit late for the “what if’s”, but what if the officers had taken a different, possibly more polite and respectful approach to Mr. Perez. I’m sure we would all agree there are more than a few officers that could use some more training in those two subjects these days. If they had taken that approach it’s quite possible the entire incident could’ve ended with Mr. Perez receiving a citation, and walking home. But then the coroner found some dope in Perez’s mouth during the autopsy. Listening to Lars Larson repeatedly make mention of that today, as if that was some sort of justification for the use of deadly force made me want to puke! Let’s not overlook the fact that the dope was found well after the incident was over, by the coroner.
The statute is clear on when an officer can use deadly force, and that is only when the officer feels like his life, or the life of others is in jeopardy. If an officer’s assumes that a suspect is reaching for a weapon, that’s simply not good enough in my opinion to satisfy the conditions of the statute. If we allow an officer’s assumption to be good enough, then we have given every police officer a license to kill.
Michael Schrunk, the District Attorney for Multnomah County, announced Tuesday he will hold a public inquest into the fatal police shooting. Such an inquest would be a first in the city in nearly two decades. Our fearless Mayor/police commissioner, Vera Katz has requested the inquest along with two state lawmakers in a feeble attempt to appease the public. Such an inquest is a waste of time. The ORS statutes, governing the process of public inquests, clearly states the objectives of which there are four (4).
a. Inquire into who the deceased person was-We already know that answer, James Jahar Perez
b. When and where the deceased person came to death-Sunday afternoon (the time escapes me for the moment, but it’s been recorded), and in front of a Laundromat and grocery store (again the names escape me, my apologies)
c. The cause of death-bullet wounds fired by Officer Sery to the victims chest
d. The manner of death-during an altercation with police
So I ask you, what would be the reason for this inquest?
If there is anything to be learned from this incident thus far, regardless of whether or not you’re a convicted felon, you better be careful the next time you reach for your license, registration and proof of insurance
charlotte on 12 Apr 2004
It's to bad that this had to happen. A boy has no father now. All because its to easy to say i thought he had a gun. How could you think that if the man was still buckled in,as well as asking, "what did i do?". You made this assesment in under 24 seconds,that shows how much you care about black people. Just because you have an altered judgement that dose not mean you're right,so shoot anyway, huh? the sad part is we, as african americans, already know that there will not be any thing done about this situation,so you can give us all this hype about a public inquiry and everything else,but trust me we all know it's a cover up and a lie,so who are you trying to convince? you or us. the police target us all day everyday,they pull us over to say i just wanted to know who you are,let me see your lisence and registration on gp just cause they can ,the police are the biggest gang in portland ore! They're the baddest crips,the boys in blue! remember deontae keller? probably not cause the police killed him! remember bumper? No? The police killed him. Remember kendra james yeah the police killed her too. The only gang we should be working on is the boys in blue, the ones who make us wear black to our peoples funerals,then you dont even give us 2 minutes on the news guess save the whales are more important!saddened black woman
athanasius on 13 Apr 2004
You know, it's easy to see that very few people here have had the least experience in law enforcement or even potentially lethal confrontations. Don’t tell me you know what it’s like to stand in an officer’s shoes until you’ve been there, feeling sweat pour down your face as you agonize over a decision you know you’ll regret regardless of the outcome.
It's equally obvious that many individuals here feel free to condemn Sery and exonerate Perez solely based on a victim mentality. The truth from all appearances, folks is this: Perez, jacked on crack, pushed the line and Sery responded to what he believed was a real and present threat. Did he make a mistake? Almost certainly. The higher the stakes (with life being the highest) the more anyone is likely to do the same. Did he just decide it was time to kill a minority member? Come on, give it a break and stop reading all the little rally-monkey media gangs which can’t even back themselves up with valid facts. They thrive on innuendo and inference. The last time I checked, we assume folks are innocent until they’re proven guilty. The last thing anyone needs is another injustice, another mistake to come from this, don’t you agree? We already have enough victims, people. Let’s stop playing guessing games where people’s futures are at stake.