Portland Police: Outside Monitor Renews Call to Abandon 48-Hour Rule

Outside monitors hired to track how much progress the Portland Police Bureau makes in undertaking change mandated by a settlement with the United States Department of Justice find the bureau is making some substantial progress but has a way to go in several regards.

The monitors - Dennis Rosenbaum and Amy Watson - have issued a new draft report in anticipation of Thursday's meeting of the Community Oversight Advisory Board.

One issue the monitors would like to see more progress on is the so-called "48-hour" rule that bars officers involved from shootings until at least 48 hours after the incident.

"We recommend that officers be interviewed as soon as possible and that unnecessary delay not occur.," they wrote. "As we noted in our last report, a large body of research on stress and memory does not support the claim that “two sleep cycles” are needed for memory to be fully restored.

"We restate our recommendation that the “48-hour” rule be abandoned."

The monitors write that they are aware of ongoing discussions involving the Portland Police Bureau, the City, the Multnomah County District Attorney and the Department of Justice but that no solution has been reached.

The monitors were hired in the week of a conclusion by the Department of Justice in 2012 that the Police Bureau engaged in a pattern of excessive force against people with mental illness.

The new report concludes that the Bureau has made substantial progress in several aspects of implementing the goals of the settlement.

There are still other areas that still need work, the monitors write.

They would like to see the police bureau conduct a survey of people with mental health issues who have had contact with police officers but has found the bureau reluctant to assist.

The monitors believe instructors should spend less time on training for high-risk encounters and more time on preparing officers for the more common, everyday encounters.

On Thursday, the city's Community Oversight Advisory Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. to receive the report and hear a presentation.