Police killings in Oregon may not be documented properly by Oregon officials.
Portland Copwatch released a report on Monday with findings from their project tracking deadly force incidents involving Law enforcement in the State of Oregon. The report found 74 cases in which a police killing was not entered into the Oregon Department of Justice's database at all. It found an additional 56 cases on the books that included errors like misspelled names, incorrect dates, and inadequate information around the race of the victims.
The findings were sent to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
Of the 74 deaths that were missing entirely in the state’s data, 9 were missing from Multnomah County, representing 19% of the county’s 47 deaths since 2010.
The existence of the state’s deadly force database is a result of SB 111. That’s the 2007 bill that established procedures for law enforcement agencies and district attorneys to follow when dealing with the use of deadly physical force. It also set out rules for grand jury proceedings in which use of deadly physical force was an element.
KBOO reached out to the Attorney General’s office and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office, but we have not heard back as of airtime.
KBOO reporters Sam Bouman and Jasmin Moss spoke with Portland Copwatch and have more on this story.
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- KBOO