Hundreds attend rally in support of police officer

PORTLAND, Ore. -- About 700 Portland police officers and supporters rallied in downtown Portland Tuesday morning before holding a no-confidence vote centered on the police chief and a prominent city commissioner.

The rally was the latest fallout from an incident involving Portland police officer Chris Humphreys, who shot a 12-year-old female with a beanbag round at close range at an altercation at a MAX station, an action for which Chief Rosie Sizer took the officer off patrol.

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman advocated for putting Officer Chris Humphreys on administrative leave after the incident. Officers will include Saltzman in the no-confidence ballot.

Humphreys also was a key figure in the actions surrounding the death of James Chasse, a diagnosed schizophrenic who died in police custody after he was tackled by officers who said Chasse ran from them after they tried to apprehend him for urinating in public in 2006.

Despite the officers being absolved of excessive force charges, the incident prompted an outcry against perceived excessive force used by the Portland Police and for improved training on dealing with suspects with mental health issues.

The latest incident involved a 12-year-old female who was combative with officers at a MAX station where police had been called to after reports of a disturbance involving a large number of people.

The incident was caught on TriMet security video. The footage showed two officers trying to subdue the girl while Officer Humphreys circles closely with a beanbag gun. At what point he fires the weapon is not clear. The girl reportedly had a bruise on her leg from the impact.

After the video went public, Chief Sizer said she found the incident on the video “disturbing” and placed Humphreys on leave, prompting an immediate outcry from rank-and-file officers, who made their concerns public through a spokesperson.

On Tuesday, Chief Sizer released a statement that said, in part: “I believe that the investigation [into the beanbag incident] will reveal more information than is currently available in the video and police reports.” Read Sizer's entire statement at the Willamette Week Web site. 

Tuesday morning, Portland City Commissioner Dan Slatzman also issued a short statements, saying in part: "I resolve to maintain good relations, or at least frank discussions with the Portland Police Association on a myriad of issues." Read Slatzman's full statement.

A number of officers have now said they will no longer use the beanbag gun, which looks like a shotgun but is yellow. Some officers also reportedly asked to be decertified in using the beanbag gun.

Beanbag guns are a part of an officer’s “less than lethal” weaponry, along with electronic stun weapons, sprays, batons and other items designed to slow or incapacitate suspects without gunfire.

Ballots for the no-confidence vote were collected at the rally but results are not going to be released until later in the week.

Willamette Week is a news partner with KATU.