Police auditor aims to build trust.

Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard

Eugene's first police auditor started work this week, but it may be a while before her office is up and running.

Before she can begin her real work as auditor, Cristina Beamud must hire a staff, find office space and develop a procedure for handling complaints about police employees.

She hopes to get it all done by the first of the year.

For now, she's getting acquainted with the city. She has met with city councilors, the mayor and the police chief. She has plans to meet with the police union, neighborhood groups and advocacy groups such as the ACLU.

"I think there's some urgency in establishing relationships and communication so I can better understand what I should be doing and in what priority it should be done," Beamud said Tuesday toward the end of two hours of back-to-back interviews with local media.

Beamud, 54, left her job as legal adviser to the Cambridge, Mass., police department to become Eugene's first independent police auditor. She and a yet-to-be-appointed citizens review board will monitor complaint investigations against officers and other police employees.

As part of the fallout after the convictions of two former Eugene police officers for sexual crimes against vulnerable women, Eugene voters approved a change last fall to the City Charter authorizing the City Council to hire the auditor and create the civilian review board.

The investigations into officers Roger Magana and Juan Lara revealed that many of their victims never complained about the officers' behavior. Beamud said reaching that population will be a difficult challenge.

"I think some of the people, not all of them, but some of the people you describe are people who wouldn't otherwise trust government in general, not just police," she said. "Some of this is establishing trust. You don't just walk in and establish trust immediately. You build it."

Beamud said she hopes to reach the disenfranchised with the help of clergy, shelters, the health department and others that have regular contact with vulnerable populations.

She believes her office can prevent another Lara and Magana-type scandal, but said she alone is not the solution.

"I'm hoping to be part of the solution. I'm hoping we can all work together in a way that produces results and trust in the community and, by the way, preserves public safety."

She plans to meet with police union President Willy Edewaard in the coming weeks to discuss the association's issues with the external oversight system. As a former police officer, Beamud said it's important that the officers have a voice and genuinely feel heard.

"I will try to assure them that I'm familiar with fair protocol, that I know the laws concerning due process and police officers, and, most importantly, that I understand the nature of their work," she said. "They are a very important component in this process, and I will try to respect their contractual and constitutional rights. I'm certain that this has been a very painful time for them."

Beamud said the fact that she's new to Eugene is a boon because she brings a fresh perspective, but it's also a challenge because she lacks the institutional knowledge of someone who has been around for a long time. But she said her professional experience as police officer, prosecutor and legal adviser should serve her well.

"I've been in this business for a long time, and I've tried to keep up to date with current police practices," she said. "I'm hoping I can apply that professional judgment to the situations that come before me."

Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard

CAPTION(S):

Cristina Beamud started her job as Eugene's first police auditor.