PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland city leaders heard Wednesday from a citizen’s committee on ways to improve policing.
The co-chairs of the Police Accountability Commission presented their report identifying barriers to police accountability such as a lack of faith in police by the public. They also claimed the system is less accessible for people who are homeless.
The oversight commission claimed the system is less accessible for people who are homeless and talked about the relationship between police and the city they serve.
“We live in a time where public trust in government is suffering and this presents us with an opportunity to build a system and build trust at the same time,” said Portland city commissioner Carmen Rubio.
The vote by commissioners was unanimous, although the mayor was absent.
The city’s oversight system was approved by voters at the end of 2020, with 82% voter approval.
City commissioners also appointed a new member to the PAC, saying more than 100 people applied for the position.
The commission was also set to vote on a resolution to align the PAC with its timeline under the U.S. Department of Justice settlement agreement but said instead they were referring that back to the mayor’s office.
KOIN 6 reached out for clarity on why they did that and Mayor Wheeler’s office told us there were technical aspects that needed to be clarified and that it would be brought back to the council in the coming weeks.