Ore. officer on leave for use of force on girl, 12
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Portland police officer involved in the custody death of a mentally ill man three years ago has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the use of a beanbag gun on a 12-year-old girl.
Officer Christopher Humphreys is already facing a possible two-week suspension for his role in the September 2006 death of James Chasse Jr., who suffered from schizophrenia.
Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who proposed the suspension in the Chasse death, ordered the administrative leave for Humphreys on Thursday after authorities say Humphreys fired a beanbag round at close range and hit the girl in the leg after she struck another officer and was resisting arrest.
The president of the police union said Humphreys' actions were appropriate and warranted.
Humphreys, a 10-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, is assigned to the Transit Police Division. He was responding to calls on Saturday night about a large party that had broken up involving several known gang members, said Detective Mary Wheat, police spokeswoman.
Humphreys and another 10-year veteran, Officer Aaron Dauchy, saw 20 to 30 teenagers board a westbound TriMet MAX light rail train, and Dauchy saw a girl he knew was excluded from MAX.
Wheat said the officers followed the train to the next station and went to the platform, where Dauchy recognized a juvenile male he also knew to be on the MAX exclusion list.
Dauchy handcuffed the boy and called to the girl to get off the train. As he was taking her into custody, she hit him in the face and began resisting, Wheat said.
After repeatedly warning the girl to stop or he would shoot a beanbag gun, Humphreys fired a round at the girl's thigh before another officer arrived and they were able to handcuff her.
The incident was captured by TriMet video cameras and reviewed by Saltzman and Police Chief Rosie Sizer.
"The actions I witnessed on the video are not consistent with my expectations and what I believe are the community's expectations for a Portland police officer," Saltzman said in a statement.
Sizer said she was "troubled" by the video and ordered an internal investigation into whether the use of force was justified.
Sgt. Scott Westerman, Portland Police Association president, accused the city of playing politics and criticized both Sizer and Saltzman, telling reporters on the steps of police headquarters he no longer had any confidence in them.
The girl, meanwhile, has already made a preliminary appearance in Multnomah County juvenile court and a petition has been filed against her for assaulting a public safety officer, resisting arrest and interfering with public transportation. She was not in custody.
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the Chasse family is still pending, accusing Portland police officers of excessive force and denying Chasse appropriate medical attention after he suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung.
A separate lawsuit against Multnomah County was settled for $925,000.
Officer Christopher Humphreys is already facing a possible two-week suspension for his role in the September 2006 death of James Chasse Jr., who suffered from schizophrenia.
Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who proposed the suspension in the Chasse death, ordered the administrative leave for Humphreys on Thursday after authorities say Humphreys fired a beanbag round at close range and hit the girl in the leg after she struck another officer and was resisting arrest.
The president of the police union said Humphreys' actions were appropriate and warranted.
Humphreys, a 10-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, is assigned to the Transit Police Division. He was responding to calls on Saturday night about a large party that had broken up involving several known gang members, said Detective Mary Wheat, police spokeswoman.
Humphreys and another 10-year veteran, Officer Aaron Dauchy, saw 20 to 30 teenagers board a westbound TriMet MAX light rail train, and Dauchy saw a girl he knew was excluded from MAX.
Wheat said the officers followed the train to the next station and went to the platform, where Dauchy recognized a juvenile male he also knew to be on the MAX exclusion list.
Dauchy handcuffed the boy and called to the girl to get off the train. As he was taking her into custody, she hit him in the face and began resisting, Wheat said.
After repeatedly warning the girl to stop or he would shoot a beanbag gun, Humphreys fired a round at the girl's thigh before another officer arrived and they were able to handcuff her.
The incident was captured by TriMet video cameras and reviewed by Saltzman and Police Chief Rosie Sizer.
"The actions I witnessed on the video are not consistent with my expectations and what I believe are the community's expectations for a Portland police officer," Saltzman said in a statement.
Sizer said she was "troubled" by the video and ordered an internal investigation into whether the use of force was justified.
Sgt. Scott Westerman, Portland Police Association president, accused the city of playing politics and criticized both Sizer and Saltzman, telling reporters on the steps of police headquarters he no longer had any confidence in them.
The girl, meanwhile, has already made a preliminary appearance in Multnomah County juvenile court and a petition has been filed against her for assaulting a public safety officer, resisting arrest and interfering with public transportation. She was not in custody.
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the Chasse family is still pending, accusing Portland police officers of excessive force and denying Chasse appropriate medical attention after he suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung.
A separate lawsuit against Multnomah County was settled for $925,000.