PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Back in June, Portland became the last major city to begin using body cameras, but it wasn’t until Tuesday, Sept. 9 that one of those videos was released to the public.
The video was of an incident on Aug. 24, when police shot and wounded 52-year-old Robert D. Seeger, whom they said had been armed with a handgun, a knife, and a hammer.
However, not all of the footage was released pending the ongoing investigation into the incident.
“It really does provide a perspective, but it's only one perspective,” PPB Chief Bob Day said. “None of it is meant to be the whole story.”
The Portland Police Association represents sworn police officers in the city and is one of the most powerful unions in the state. It often weighs in on issues of public safety — which can mean wading into the political realm.
Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, president of the PPA, has joined Eye on Northwest Politics several times, but returned this week to share the perspective of body cameras for cops on the street.
“The benefit of being the last [city to roll out body cameras] is you see where other people have been successful and had struggles,” Schmautz said. “I’m a big fan of transparency and around our country, you’ve seen people have information and it doen’t get released quickly. I think it’s really important for the public to see as quickly as possible.”
But body cameras are not the only topic the PPA currently faces. For instance, a U.S. district judge recently approved a tentative plan for a new Community Board for Police Oversight, which was approved by the voters in 2020. However, it’s not expected to take effect until 2025.
Sgt. Schmautz said he thinks the plan, in regards mitigating police misconduct, could be concerning because it is less of an “accountability system” and more of a “political mechanism.”
“Accountability matters. It matters that we have community oversight and that the community has some say,” Schmautz said. “The way this court hearing went I think kind of highlighted our greatest concern, which is that politics can push their way into an accountability system in such a way that it puts its thumb on the scale.”
The PPA also recently released endorsements for the upcoming November election in Portland, after which the city will shift to a completely new form of government. Among their endorsements was mayoral candidate and current Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez.
Schmautz said the union chose Gonzalez over the 15 other possible candidates — including fellow city commissioners Mingus Mapps and Carmen Rubio — because the PPA is focused on a “holistic approach to public safety.”
“We want to make sure that who our electeds [sic] are understand the necessity for public safety and the role law enforcement plays,” he said.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
