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Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner says Mayor Charlie Hales' one-week suspension of public safety policy adviser Baruti Artharee doesn't go far enough—and a cop's discipline would have been much more harsh.
Artharee's discipline, announced July 1, rankled many local leaders who told WW that Hales should have fired Artharee, who came under fire for inappropriate comments he made at a June 6 dinner toward Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith.
Hales said yesterday that he is keeping Artharee because he is crucial to reforming the police bureau.
"I like Baruti; I've had good interactions and conversations with him," Turner says. "But I think it was less than a slap on the wrist. I think a police officer would have gotten much more discipline for the same kind of conduct. It's another example of our leaders, who are supposed to be held to a higher standard, being treated differently."
WWeek 2015