Voters pass oversight plan for city police.Byline: Edward Edward killed his father at his mother’s instigation. [Br. Balladry: Edward in Benét, 302] See : Patricide Russo The Register-Guard CORRECTION (ran 11/10/2005): Eugene City Councilor coun·cil·or also coun·cil·lor n. A member of a council, as one convened to advise a governor. See Usage Note at council. coun Bonny Bonny (bŏn`ē), town, SE Nigeria, in the Niger River delta, on the Bight of Biafra. In the 18th and 19th cent., Bonny was the center of a powerful trading state, and in the 19th cent. it became the leading site for slave exportation in W Africa. Bettman had not been pushing for citizen oversight
Oversight may refer to:
Eugene voters on Tuesday gave the City Council the authority to create citizen oversight of complaints against police officers. In unofficial un·of·fi·cial adj. Of or being a drug that is not listed in the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary. results, voters approved 57 percent to 43 percent a change to the city charter to allow the council to hire an auditor auditor n. an accountant who conducts an audit to verify the accuracy of the financial records and accounting practices of a business or government. A proper audit will point out deficiencies in accounting and other financial operations. and appoint a citizens review board to monitor investigations of police officer complaints. Voter VOTER. One entitled to a vote; an elector. turnout was light, at 38 percent. Besides changing the way complaint investigations are handled, the election will lead to a slight power shift at City Hall, where the city manager is in charge of most hiring and supervising. In the coming months, councilors will have to decide the details of hiring the auditor and appointing the review board. And councilors will have to find an estimated $500,000 to start the oversight program and more than $400,000 a year to keep it running. "There is still a long way to go, but I think that when we are done, we'll be better off," said Ron Chase, a measure supporter and campaign volunteer. During the campaign, measure backers said the oversight of complaint investigations against police officers would be more independent and credible if the council, not the city manager, hired and appointed the watchdogs. "I think it will be a positive step forward for the police department and the community," said City Councilor Bonny Bettman, who worked on the campaign. Bettman and other measure supporters gathered at the Community Alliance of Lane County headquarters in the Whiteaker neighborhood. Bettman and other community activists had been pushing for citizen oversight of the police department since the 1990s, but the latest ballot measure arose from two recent, high-profile police controversies. In 2004, former police officers Roger Magana and Juan Francisco Lara were convicted of sexually preying on women while on duty. Later that year, the stop and search of Cortez Jordan, a young black man, prompted allegations of racial profiling The consideration of race, ethnicity, or national origin by an officer of the law in deciding when and how to intervene in an enforcement capacity. Police officers often profile certain types of individuals who are more likely to perpetrate crimes. by police officers. Last summer, the 12-member Police Commission recommended hiring an auditor and appointing a review board. But the proposal had critics, including former City Councilor Ken Tollenaar, who argued that giving city councilors the hiring and supervising authority would be contrary to Eugene's city manager form of government. "The people have spoken," Tollenaar said Tuesday night. "My hope is that the council will now proceed to develop an external review program as similar as possible to what the Police Commission recommended." The Police Employees Union opposed the measure, fearful that the City Council could end up meddling med·dle intr.v. med·dled, med·dling, med·dles 1. To intrude into other people's affairs or business; interfere. See Synonyms at interfere. 2. To handle something idly or ignorantly; tamper. in the investigations of alleged officer misconduct MISCONDUCT. Unlawful behaviour by a person entrusted in any degree: with the administration of justice, by which the rights of the parties and the justice of the, case may have been affected. 2. . But even some voters who sympathized with police said they voted for the measure. Voter Bill Schattel said that having people from outside the police department monitoring the investigations would help end frivolous Of minimal importance; legally worthless. A frivolous suit is one without any legal merit. In some cases, such an action might be brought in bad faith for the purpose of harrassing the defendant. complaints against officers. "I see it as a way to stop the feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. between the citizens and the police," he said. Northeast Eugene resident Jacqueline Bishop, who voted for the measure, said the city manager should not appoint the auditor. The city manager hires the police chief, she said, and the relationship between the two officials means that "there could be some favoritism, if anything should come up." "I don't think the City Council should have to do (the hiring), but I don't think there is anybody else to do it," Bishop said. The council decided to put the measure before voters in the special election, instead of waiting until next May's primary election. The special election will cost the city about $140,000. Bishop didn't like that. "I think that it is ridiculous when we are having the money problems we're having," she said. The cost of the monitoring effort persuaded west Eugene resident Darline Gadsden to vote against the measure. "I don't think we need to waste the money on that," she said. "We have other things that need more money.' City Councilor Andrea Ortiz, who supported the measure and worked on the campaign, said it will be difficult to find the money to pay for the program. "I'd be lying if I said we have a pot of money set aside just for this," she said. Bettman said money can be found. She noted that earlier this year she was able to find money to pay for bike police patrols, partly through money from unfilled jobs and city reserves. EUGENE BALLOT MEASURE 20-106 City Council to appoint police auditor and citizen review board: Yes: 17,761 (57 percent) No: 13,381 (43 percent) Registered voters: 82,092 Ballots returned: 38 percent FLORENCE BALLOT MEASURE 20-107 Sewage Sewage Water-carried wastes, in either solution or suspension, that flow away from a community. Also known as wastewater flows, sewage is the used water supply of the community. It is more than 99. service agreement with casino casino or cassino (both: kəsē`nō). 1 Card game played with a full deck by two to four players. Its origins are obscure though it probably traces back to the Italian game of Scopa. : Yes: 2,051 (61.5 percent) No: 1,284 (38.5 percent) Registered voters: 4,942 Ballots returned: 67 percent Note: Numbers for both measures are unofficial final results as of 11:30 p.m. For the latest figures, visit www.co.lane.or.us/Elections/ResultsIndex.htm |
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