Police union president slams Adams over Frashour fight
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PORTLAND, Ore. - The president of the Portland Police Association accused Portland Mayor Sam Adams of using the controversy over reinstating Officer Ron Frashour for political gain.
"Mayor Adams has turned this into a personal vendetta," Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner said at a news conference Tuesday morning. "And he’s using the hard-earned dollars of taxpaying Portlanders as his personal checkbook to extend this politically motivated witch hunt at the expense of the integrity of a process that protects the very core of collective bargaining."
Last Friday, the Oregon Employment Relations Board ruled that the city must adhere to an arbitrator’s decision and re-hire Ron Frashour. Adams has stated in the past he would fight efforts to have Frashour reinstated.
Frashour shot and killed Aaron Campbell during an encounter outside Campbell’s apartment in 2010. Campbell was unarmed. After an investigation, Frashour was fired for his actions during the shooting.
Turner said the mayor had "snubbed his nose" at the demand from the ERB to reinstate Frashour and claimed Adams is using the controversy for political purposes. He said the mayor's pursuit of Frashour has already cost the city $1 million.
"This is personal for the mayor, he wants to make a statement," Turner said.
Turner also said several reviews of the incident by agencies not related to the union found no misconduct in Frashour's actions and it was time for the mayor to accept the call to reinstate Frashour.
"This is a person who did his job," Turner said of Frashour. "He did what he was trained to do. He did what he had sworn to do, and he trusted the integrity of a process, and the integrity of the police commissioner to be able to agree with that process, which they did."
"And now that the process has gone through all of the stages the mayor now is—uh, I can’t use that word—the mayor is backing out of it," Turner said. "He’s showing the questionable integrity that he’s had all during his tenure. He’s showing that he’s not up to living up to the promises he’s made to the Police Bureau, to the Police Association. And we’re obviously upset about it, but more than that we’re also disillusioned with the fact that he’s our police commissioner."
"Mayor Adams stands alone, unsupported by facts. It's time for him to end this mess and provide the community with closure," Turner said.
He also said he hopes Portland city commissioners do not take the case to the Oregon Court of Appeals. But Tuesday afternoon, City Commissioner Randy Leonard issued a press release saying he would support Adams in an appeals process.
The Portland Police Association also released a statement to the media about the controversy, reiterating many of the points made Turner.
Watch the police union news conference:

I wish someone would do a study that shows how many "innocent victims" there are, that have been seriously hurt or killed, by the mentally ill. Personally, I am tired of reading all the stories about people being killed by "mentally ill people" . Remember the care giver killed by the person she was delivering medications to? Or, the mass shooting at the "Dark Knight" movie? Or, the guy who lost his face in Florida? Or the soldier accused of killing fellow soldiers at Fort Hood? There are so many of these stories that not everyone sees all the time, but believe me, they're there. And the ones you do hear about, are quickly forgotten ......... until the next one. Some of the comments that so many of you make concerns me, as I feel that you would "feel better" if it was the Officers that were killed in the line of duty, instead of these "mental persons" that someone was concerned enough to call the Police about because they were afraid of what they were capable of doing.
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These Officers are out there, day in and day out, trying to keep the peace. But, every day, it seems there are more and more of these mentally ill people everywhere I go downtown. Most of them seem harmless enough, but you never know when something is going to set them off. And, I hope and pray, that there's an Officer around if one goes off on me! I know someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got punched by one of these "mental persons", simply because the elevator doors opened.
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If the Police aren't allowed to do their jobs, and "Protect & Serve" their community, then we are left to fend for ourselves. And, God help us, if it comes to that.
If I read this right, the mayor thinks that the police officer in question did not act within the law,
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And, in response to due process ordering the police officer rehired, the mayor has decided that he, the mayor, does not have to act with in the law.
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Can everybody see how wrong the mayor is?
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He fought the law and law won give him his job back
I hate Unions as much as corrupt politicians and bureaucrats combined.
same police justification we've heard for decades: it was my legal right to shoot him, so i shot him.
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If you oppose uncle sammy, he fires you and sometimes the whole committee you're on. Now he finds himself in a situation where he can't get his way, maybe if that happened more often he would leave town! He is leaving office soon, quit being afraid of him, the mommy's little man is running out of time. Now maybe he will fire the union since they oppose him. Welcome back Officer Frashour!
Wow, a government official stands up to the fascist police state.
After reading a lot of the comments here, there is one thing you can bet on. Â Don't depend on a democrat to help you even if you are in dire need of help. Â It would be too much of an inconvenience. Â Â Here's the deal Portlanders. Â You elected Adams and couldn't even get enough votes to recall him. Â Just proves that your miserable city is beyond saving, so just give up and live with it.
This is the first thing Adams has done right! Stick to your decision and don't back down. We don't need any more cops that are trigger happy!
 @Jfisch ... yeah, obviously it is not your money at stake...easy for occupier types to suggest doing something that is wrong despite of the costs...in this case wrong....no way can Adams win this battle but what does he care - he's done...
I know Daryl and I know that he will stand by for what is deemed right. Adams failed so badly in the last few years (and can we say "FLUORIDATION"? ) that he figures this is his way of letting Portland know what a great guy he is and how well he stands behind his citizens. Sammer's is trying to redeem himself. Now mind you....I believe Frashour should stay fired...however, I don't like Adams jumping on his bandwagon for his redemption either.
What words come to mind in describing our mayor? Petulant? Adolescent? Egomanical? Stubborn? Self-centered? Sociopathological? Friendless?
I think the police union is contrary to the collective safety of the citizens of this city. They've been fighting to keep the worst examples of police protected from firing, even when their actions result in the death of innocents and costs the city millions of dollars in reparations. Yet the PPU fights for their 'right' to be gainfully employed as officers in the the City of Portland! How is that looking out for the best interests of the citizens of Portland? Simple, they're not.Â
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How you can gun down an unarmed man who was trying to comply to two separate opposing sets of commands simultaneously, one to get his hands up and one to lay down on the ground. Another cop who should've been fired (and prosecuted, imho) opened fire on him from behind with a 12ga shotgun (loaded with beanbags), striking him in the lower back. He was getting shot for doing what they told him to! Fight or flight reflex took over once he started getting hit and he ran for cover grabbing the part of his back that he thought just got hit by a shotgun load. That's when he was killed. I've always contended that the officer who was giving conflicting instructions and then shot him with a shotgun was equally responsible for Campbell's death and should have been fired too. Campbell was trying to do what they were telling him to do. There was no excuse.
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Any to all of you revisionists who believe otherwise, the Grand Jury testimony was released by the D.A.. You can, and should, take the time to read it, if you really want to know the fact of what happened as witnessed by all those involved and who actually witnessed it. Frashour is no victim! If you believe he is, then I've got a great bridge for sale, cash only...
@TangledUpInBlue Here is where you are wrong. The  officers did everthing right per state law ( items 1 and 3 below  are applied) :
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ORS 161.219¹ Limitations on use of deadly physical force in defense of a person
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Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 161.209 (Use of physical force in defense of a person), a person is not justified in using deadly physical force upon another person unless the person reasonably believes that the other person is:
(1) Committing or attempting to commit a felony involving the use or threatened imminent use of physical force against a person; or
(2) Committing or attempting to commit a burglary in a dwelling; or
(3) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force against a person. [1971 c.743 §23]
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He was not complying with officers , was shot with bean bags, still not compliant , and ran twards cover (where a weapon was strongly believed to be). The bottom line is if the Grand Jury found that the shootijng was not within state laws and the state standards of training , he would have been indicted.
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 That is why there are Police Unions, to make sure officers dont get railroaded by public opinion and politics.
This is one of the times that unions are good for the employees . The officer was wrongly terminated because the mayor had to kiss butt to the Jacksons and Sharptons of the world. Too bad the idiot mayor not only paid out millions of tax payers dollars to the maggots mother, now the city is going to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars to lawyers and the officer because of this last hurrah of a failed mayoral stint .
Leave him fired. He shot the guy in the back.
 @Bdou .. maybe you need to review the facts... nothing is black and white..
@KHEBÂ You need to review the facts:
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"Portland Officer Ronald Frashour, who killed Campbell, 25, with one shot to the back from his AR-15 rifle Jan. 29" . This is an excerpt from the full report below:
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http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/portland_grand_jury_clears_off.html
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He was trying to surrender:
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"Witnesses say Campbell came out, walking backward toward police with his hands behind his head" but because he did not follow police instructions to the letter (put his hands in the AIR), one officer fired six beanbag shotgun rounds at Campbell. It was during his reaction to being shot by the beanbag rounds (obviously in the back since that is the way he was facing), "Frashour fired his rifle, saying he saw Campbell reach toward the back of his waistband and start running toward an alcove in the complex". I dont know about you but if something hits me hard, I instinctively grab that area of my body and try to get away.
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Then after shooting him in the back, ALL THE OFFICERS PRESENT let him lay there WITHOUT medical attention (or even checking to see his condition) for more than 30 minutes.
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While I dont like to play the race card and it may not be relevant here in terms of racism, Cambell was black and Frashour is white. Sounds pretty black and white to me.
he shouldve followed Police directions even before the beanbags...but insisted on being a thug and test the police...why dont people understand cause and effect? if Cambell stopped and dropped at the first command he would still be alive and kicking,but ya know the police haters are to blame for his death,since they urge people to not obey police in the first place,but to test them,well Cambell failed huh..dont feel sorry for him one bit..
 @scared_citizen .. a little dramatic aren't you?Â
 @scared_citizen Really??  That was a pretty pathetic comment. Â
@KHEBÂ Then dont be surprised when you are shot reaching for your wallet to get your license when you get stopped for speeding.
 @scared_citizen .. you are only a little bit right...maybe you should look up other areas of information...keeping in mind Grand Juries would indite a "ham sandwich" if the DA so wanted...police did not have all the facts at the time, possibly wrong facts but that was not the police's fault.  They reacted with the info they had - and that was that Campbell was armed, had made threats, etc.  Don't be so whinny..lets hope you never need the PPD protection and they have had their hands tied.  Think about it.  If Jessie and Al is your idea of what we need for a ready police action then Heaven help you...I want immediate action - not police with their thumbs in their ears trying to make a decision.  My life is worth more than that - and you and Adams are so wrong!...Â
Sam Adams is unfimilar with upholding the laws, which he was also sworn to protect.
first lie:Â "I never dated the boy. Â It's all a lie to discredit my campaign for mayor."
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second lie:Â "I never had sex with the boy."
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third lie:Â "I waited to have sex with the boy until his 18th birthday"
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Would you buy a used car from this boy?
Months ago, I posted to the effect that Sam can pay him now or pay him later, but he is eventually going to pay him.
This whole case is a FUBAR. Of course that is no surprise with Sammie Adams in charge. PDX voters got exactly what they deserved. Adams' legacy: Bad cops, crooked parking manager, inability to enforce discipline, inability to conduct internal investigations, $20 million bike lanes paid for by sewer fees, molesting a 17-year-old in the city hall restroom. How nice.
And how about doing a whole bunch of work during the last 6 months in office while he barely did squat over the last year and half!?
 @I812 ... I think that figure was $200 million - and now our sewer rates have gone up substantially ....
Sam is as bad of a mayor as 0bama is as a president.
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Get this guy back on the force and stop spending out tax payer money on this foolish vendetta.
 @RalphCramden Ralph, they elected Sam, Kitz, Obama, Vera, Randy, ect... With that type of track record, what do you really expect?
Much like we elected Bush, Nixon, and any other idiot Republican you can mention. If thats the best you got - you aint got much.
@RalphCramden @wvboy Yeah we should probably go back to the days of slavery, women not being allowed to vote, the Cuyahoga River catching fire in 1969 due to industrial pollutant discharges, women barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, not being able to see 1/4 mile in L.A.,  just to mention a few. I occasionally agree with you Ralph but on this post you are so far south it is ridiculous.
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First rule of civilized society is "Treat everyone like you would like to be treated." Second rule of civilized society is "Don't foul your own nest." The reason most societies have laws is because people lack the discipline to do the right thing. Americans are no different when it comes to money or environment, money or equal rights, money or whatever else you want to name.
 @wvboy Don't try to have a civil or rational conversation with the Repubs on here...they have a problem with facts and reality.  Almost every single article that comes out on KATU....they have to make it into an Obama bashing.  I'm sure someone will say something about it being Obama's fault in regards to the young lady who had to swim across the Willamette...
 @wvboyÂ
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For sure. I wish that we hadn't elected Nixon. He signed the EPA into existence, the endangered species act, the Equal Right Amendment and got it amended to the constitution, the clean air act, and a whole bunch of other crap we didn't need. He really was a bad president.
Just for the sake of argument, what if Campbell had a firearm and used it against someone, not necessarily against only Frashour, what would Adams have done? Given Frashour praise for not doing the job he was trained to do? Or terminated him for being indecisive? Hopefully, no other PPB (or other agency) police officers will ever wait that split second between life and death to think about justifiably using deadly physical force. I would hate to have an officer injured or dead because of that delay! They have families and need to go home safely at the end of their shift. There are plenty of safeguards in place to investigate the use of force, from departmental policies and procedures to Grand Jury review as to what constitutes lawful application of the force required to effect either an arrest or cessation of violence or threatened violence. Leave political vendettas out of it!  Â
When Ron Frashour shot and killed Aaron Campbell all the information he had pointed to an uncooperative, armed and most likely dangerous man that had made threatsâ¦.information given to Portland Police.
I defy anyone of you to have turned the other cheek and take a chance on whether or not he was armed and intended to shoot youâ¦.it wasnât known until long after the stand-off he did not have the gun he claimed he had. Adams went off half-cocked before he had all the information and is now too stubborn to admit he was wrongâ¦no, he wants to push the issue, cost us mega-bucks in the process. Itâs amazing how our elected officials have no concept of money, ethics and fairness, they forget we are not a bottomless money-pit, maybe not as dumb as they thinkâ¦and, in this case he is not paying attention to the fact he is not a police officer trained in these kind of incidents..,.gees, we cannot have Nov 6 come soon enoughâ¦it took lies from Adams to gain his present office..if he had owned up to his lies he would never been elected. Now he is playing with a manâs life, a man sworn to serve and protect, a man just doing his jobâ¦or is it all in the name of MONEY, money hopefully from law-suits..HANG IN THERE  Portland Police Association. Your officers deserve to know at least you have their backs. Certainly not the mayor and chiefâ¦they immediately threw Frashour under the busâ¦
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@KHEB  You have multiple armed officers with guns AT THE READY (Frashour had a SCOPED AR15 TRAINED on Campbell) and Campbell was facing the other way with his hands on his head. How big of a threat could he have been even if there was a gun in his waist band which there wasnt)? He still would have had to bring the gun out of his waist band and point it. Frashour could have had time to determine this before shooting but made the wrong choice. While his actions may not meet the standard for a crime by a cop (you and I would certainly be prosecuted), his actions that day should preclude him from being a LEO.Â
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There was NO EXCUSE for this shooting even if a grand jury decides not to indict him.Â
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By your definition, if a cop stops you for driving too fast and then approaches your car and asks for your license, he is free to shoot you when you "reach toward the back of your waistband" where you keep your wallet which contains your license.Â
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no excuse not to obey police in the first place...then you wont get shot,pretty simple huh
 @scared_citizen .. guess you weren't there.  You ask, "How big of a threat could he have been even if there was a gun in his waist band which there wasnt)?" .. the police did not know he had no gun, they had been apprised of just the opposite.  Believe me, it takes less that a second to turn and pull a trigger...you can fire 8 rounds in less time than it takes to count to 3...think about it...
 @scared_citizen ...
we proved it in a courtroom...yes, it IS possible.  Of course a scoped AR was not the weapon involved...thank heavens it was here - or if, Campbell had been armed and meant to do what he threatened a bigger tragedy would have ensured... I repeat..the PPD did not have evidence that Campbell was a peaceful fella that meant no harm at that moment in time.
@scared_citizen you need to look at reaction time studies and accuracy in extreme stress. also don't forget barring a head shot a mortally wounded person can have seconds to minutes to fight before expiring. I think you've watched too many spagetti westerns
@KHEB  I have owned guns and shot guns since I was a young boy. You live in a fantasy world if you think you could pull a pistol out of your back waistband, turn and fire it before a person with a SCOPED AR15 which is already trained on you could shoot you no matter how many rounds you can fire in while counting to 3.
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If you think you can do that, I challenge you. bring your pistol and I get he AR15. We can set it up just like this scenario. The problem is you only get one chance........ think about that...
What a messed up major. Â I hope when his term ends he leaves the country.
Listen, I'm not really fond of any government agency. Nor am I a fan of Sam. But really, when an employer had NO say in who they employ, we have a problem.
The taxpayer pays the bill, we elected people to represent us. The Union wasn't who we elected. If business or government can't have a say in who they want or don't want to employ, who really is running this place?
Unions.
This is why Unions should be forbidden in any public sector.
The city does not have the authority to âpull " his certification. The state is the certifying agency. Since the shooting is within the statutes  of the state of Oregon , as well as federal guidelines and other states for that matter, there are no grounds to so. Here is the state statute ( pay very close attention to (1) as this is why Campbell was shot):
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ORS 161.219¹
Limitations on use of deadly physical force in defense of a person
Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 161.209 (Use of physical force in defense of a person), a person is not justified in using deadly physical force upon another person unless the person reasonably believes that the other person is:
(1) Committing or attempting to commit a felony involving the use or threatened imminent use of physical force against a person; or
(2) Committing or attempting to commit a burglary in a dwelling; or
(3) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force against a person. [1971 c.743 §23]
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These are the statutes that citizens are held to as well as police officers. Just because YOU donât like idea that a police officer shot this maggot doe not make it a firing offense nor should he lose his certification because he did his job honorably
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>"Mayor Adams has turned this into a personal vendetta,"Â Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner said at a news conference Tuesday morning. "And heâs using the hard-earned dollars of taxpaying Portlanders as his personal checkbook to extend this politically motivated witch hunt at the expense of the integrity of a process that protects the very core of collective bargaining."
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That is about the most accurate summation of the situation I've yet to read. Amazingly, it came from a source that is normally more slanted towards PR and spin than rational thought. I find it laughable that king sam approaches this in the media as being a 'moral' issue.
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Sam Adams??
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Claiming the 'moral high road'???
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ROFLMAO!
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Don't even get me started on the fact that he personally put a politician (himself) as the defacto leader of the PPD.
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What a piece of work king sam is, huh?Â
 @MarkKpicÂ
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Our city charter gives the city counsel the task of deciding who is going to be the police commissioner. Most often historically that has been the mayor. When Adams became mayor he chose a different counselor to become commissioner but infighting between two other commissioners forced him to change his mind.
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Clark, Katz, Potter and Adams, all have been police commissioner.
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 @MarkKpicÂ
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I can't disagreew ith you there.
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Everything you said is true.
 @Repoman Fair point, repo.Â
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Let me put it this way. IMO, the role of a police commissioner is (more than anything else) an administrative, legislative one. Much in the same way that it is a mistake to let Congress dictate the terms of military action, it's a mistake for an elected official to be in that role with the police department. For the same reasons. Law Enforcement is, by its very nature, a confrontational business. Politicians are instinctually opposed to contrivercy. They will (more often than not) do things that are decidely counterproductive in order to 'smooth things over'.
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The other point to be made is that a big part of getting response, and proactive reaction to requests/mandates by Law Enforcement is leadership. A big part of leadership is respect. Sam Adams has some serious liabilities in that field. The police chief is, and should be, the default 'leadership' of the police department. When Rosie Sizer wouldn't do as Sam told her to, he fired her. That sent a message to the rank and file officers that they were to do as they were told, and not make waves. That is a woefully ineffective way to instill confidence and respect among them.Â
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Much in the same way that Paul Allens ego led him to incessant tinkering within the Trail Blazers, King Sams ego has led him to do some pretty stupid things with regard to the PPB. With similar results.Â