HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States
Portland:

Criminal Prosecution
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Criminal prosecution of officers for brutality-related offenses is rare in Portland, and federal criminal civil rights prosecution is rarer still.49 Attorneys who frequently file police misconduct civil lawsuits say that local prosecution is usually for drug-related offenses or perjury, and no one had knowledge of federal prosecutions. In 1996, of the six cases decided by federal prosecutors for the federal district containing Portland (Oregon), five were prosecuted (presented to a grand jury to seek an indictment).50 Between 1992 and 1995, sixteen cases were considered and none was prosecuted.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's office is unusual in that it reports keeping a log of criminal cases involving police officers as defendants. The office tracks police who are indicted or convicted. When, at Human Rights Watch's request, it checked for officers criminally charged during the previous two years, none were found.51



49 Capt. Bill Bennington of IAD was unaware of any federal prosecutions during 1997. Telephone interview, January 23, 1998.

50 According to data obtained by TRAC from the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, Justice Department. Cases prosecuted or declined represent only a portion of the total number of complaints alleging federal criminal civil rights violations in district in a given year. Several steps prior to this decision narrow down the number of complaints actually received to those considered worthy of consideration.

51 Multnomah County includes Portland and Gresham. Telephone inquiry with Tom Simpson, Multnomah County district attorney's office, June 3, 1997.

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© June 1998
Human Rights Watch