News As much as Portland's police say they're now the de facto psychological workers for the mentally ill on the city's streets, they need mental help too.The city is hiring contracted psychologist positions, one to conduct pre-hiring tests and another to test officers on staff who have gone through traumatic events or have had questions raised about their fitness.It's also a sign that the city may be parting ...   More

News A Portland man has filed a $566,700 lawsuit against the city of Portland and Portland Police Officer Robert Searle for a rear-end collision last year.Steven Wade says that he was driving on Southeast Fuller Road on Feb. 23, 2012, when he stopped for a pedestrian pushing a baby stroller. Searle, the suit says, failed to stop and rear-ended Wade.The suit, filed May 8 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, ...   More

News As it has been in previous budget cycles, the Portland Police Bureau's Mounted Patrol is on the chopping block.And though mounted patrol-supporter and developer Bob Ball has stepped up with an extra $150,000 in funding, and Facebook fans are rallying to save the unit, it appears this year may actually be the end for the horse unit.But Portland police offered only a vague answer about what would become ...   More

News Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen held a "heated" meeting with Portland Mayor Charlie Hales this afternoon, saying he's "shocked and concerned" that the mayor's proposed budget eliminates funding for a a 16-bed mental-health crisis center where Portland police can take people in mental distress—but rarely do."I shared with the mayor my feelings," Cogen says. "The idea that the city—which is currently ...   More

News An engineer at Adventist Medical Center filed a claim for damages against the city of Portland, saying his SUV was hit with bullets as the police fired upon and killed federal fugitive Merle M. Hatch in February.Kevin House says his wife, Karen, who also works at Adventist, parked their 2007 Dodge Durango in the employee lot for her shift the night of Feb. 17. The SUV wound up in the line of fire when ...   More

News Weston Miner Rodgers, arrested in connection with three bank robberies, continues the great Portland tradition of awesomely named robbers. Who can forget the "Hipster Bandit" and the "Where's Waldo Bank Robber"?Weston, 46, is dubbed the "Hammer Pants Bandit," but not because he wore M.C. Hammer's signature balloon-crotch pants. Rather, police say he used a hammer to simulate a gun and he kept it up ...   More

News The Portland Police Bureau is pushing forward with mental health reforms mandated by the U.S. Deportment of Justice—but one officer picked to work with the mentally ill is drawing criticism from advocates, The Skanner reports today.In a story about the reforms—which are being negotiated between the federal government, the city and the police union this month—the paper says that Chief Mike Reese ...   More

News Jason Cox says he was beaten by cops. But he has what a lot of people who allege police brutality don’t: a video. On June 18, 2011, Portland cops arrested Cox, then 37, in the parking lot of an    More

News As budget cuts loom for the department, the Portland Police Bureau is pitching a new "hot spot policing" technique, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon is worried that it may increase racial tensions between minorities and the cops.The new method was pitched to the Portland City Council this week. Hot spot policing uses data to show exactly where crime occurs, and then officers are dispatched ...   More

News In a surprising display of humor, the Portland Police Bureau just put up their own version of a Harlem shake video. First seeing this, we at WW rolled our eyes, as this meme has definitely jumped the shark. But, the PPB's version has a twist. It seems that Portland's cops agree: no more Harlem shake videos. The solo dancer—a guy in plain clothes doing some serious white guy wiggling in the Central ...   More