Seven concrete recommendations issued to combat profiling

The Work Group on the Prevention of Profiling by Law Enforcement, chaired by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, yesterday delivered seven recommendations to the Oregon legislature on ways to better detect and combat law enforcement profiling in Oregon. The task force also asked the legislature to extend the group until 2017 to further develop and finalize specific legislative proposals built on these recommendations.

The task force was established by Oregon House Bill 2002, and was tasked with providing a report to the legislature by December 1, 2015 proposing a process to identify and correct any patterns or practices of profiling by law enforcement. Under HB 2002, the law defines profiling as law enforcement targeting of a person on suspicion of violating a provision of law based solely on the real or perceived factor of a person’s age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion, homelessness or disability.

“Over the past three months, the task force has worked very hard together to develop sensible recommendations to the legislature which balance the needs of law enforcement with the community’s clear desire for transparency and accountability. These recommendations provide the legislature with a workable blueprint of next steps to continue the fight against profiling throughout the state,” said AG Rosenblum, Chair of the task force.

“As the lead organization on the End Profiling Campaign–with the support and commitment of over 100 organizations across the state–we are very pleased by the progress made by the Law Enforcement Profiling Work Group, chaired by our Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. We hope that the legislature will continue to support our efforts in order to bring workable solutions to this pressing issue,” said Kayse Jama, task force member, Center for Intercultural Organizing.

“As a representative of a number of law enforcement labor organizations in Oregon, I am pleased with the honest and robust dialogue that has taken place in our work group over the last few months. Today’s report displays the level of thoughtful consideration that has gone into providing Oregonians concerned about profiling with reasonable avenues for raising their concerns, while ensuring that law enforcement officers are able to address crime and proactively engage with their communities. I look forward to our work group’s future discussions,” said Anil Karia, task force member, Portland Police Association.

“Oregon Law Enforcement has a demonstrated track record of listening and implementing best practices in policy, procedures, and training to ensure we are meeting the public safety needs of all our unique communities. This task force has provided an opportunity for Oregon Law Enforcement to work with a variety of stakeholders to hear feedback, review practices and move forward with recommendations that continue to build confidence in our public safety organizations and systems,” said Jason Myers, task force member, Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

The seven recommendations are listed below. The full report can be found here.

Contact:

Kristina Edmunson, Department of Justice, Kristina.Edmunson@doj.oregon.gov, 503-378-6002