According to a recent press release from Governor Brown’s office, there’s still work to be done to improve police accountability. Ongoing police misconduct in Oregon has seen a rise in reporting over the past year and a half following numerous protests and marches. Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan released an audit on Dec. 1 discussing the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST).
The audit found that while DPSST has allegedly improved the Basic Police Academy and procedures to keep police accountable, there’s still work to be done.
“This audit reinforces how important greater police accountability is to increasing public confidence in law enforcement,” said Fagan. “Today’s report clearly outlines key steps that DPSST and law enforcement partners must take to improve performance and build public trust.”
Topics covered by the report include efforts made by the Governor and Legislature to reform policing in Oregon, gaps in oversight, ongoing lack of use-of-excessive-force data in Oregon, and the DPSST’s overall role in police accountability. Each of these is a serious issue that will require further attention to get the Oregonian police force in line with the Governor’s vision.
The DPSST is responsible for regulating and certifying all public safety professionals in Oregon. In the past five years, DPSST has established an improved screening procedure for certification, and strengthened existing rules and procedures for officers that have been found to have engaged in misconduct.
Among the issues still plaguing the process is accountability and streamlining. DPSST’s process for revoking an officer’s certification can be tied up at the local law enforcement level. Add in that there are many other oversights that still need to be shored up, and it’s clear that the agency’s work is still cut out for them.
While the Basic Police Academy has suffered from short-staffing, they have made some changes to their curriculum, including a shift to evidence-based curriculum and teaching methods aligned with industry-leading practices.
The full audit can be found here.
By Ethan Hauck
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