DE-POLICE PORTLAND

via amicuscuria.com

Does Portland in de-police make a better city?

“We used to be judged on our work ethic. How many stops, how many contacts, how many calls.”

“That was police work?”

“That’s police work, what used to be police work. Still should be. You get to a point in a police career where you feel the change. So you get back to basics. Now the basics changed.”

“Like driving around?”

“Perfect example. When I started, if we saw four or five guys out together at three in the morning, we’d stop and talk. It was called stop and talk.”

“Part of community policing?”

“Depends on what part of community policing you mean. It’s a different community at three in the morning. Most people don’t see it.”

“What about the part where seeing police in the community prevented crime.”

“Now it doesn’t matter one way or the other. We’re still in the community, we just don’t stop. Or talk.”

“How is your work ethic on that?”

“If we don’t turn anything in that needs more action, we’re good.”

“That’s police work?”

“It is after Ferguson. Call it Fergusonification. It’s the way it is. No confrontation, no problems, no reports.”

“So you drive by what you used to stop for.”

“All the time. It’s hard. I’m back on the street to learn.”

“Maybe you can help me learn. I’ve got a heroin house, maybe meth, where it doesn’t belong. Like too close to me.”

“Backyard?”

“Got a clear line. They traffic in front of my place. Cops say they can’t do anything. They tried once and got a police harassment case. Does that sound like de-policing?”

“We’ve got rules.”

“We’ve all got rules we’re supposed to agree with. Like laws. Like stop cars from dropping runners off and waiting. No one wants that.”

“And now you’ve got it.”

“All the time. We call in cars and plates, keep lists, compare notes.”

“Sound’s like police work.”

“I don’t have to de-police.”

“Easy for you. Not so easy for police trained police.”

“Can’t be.”

“Crime is more high tech, that’s the part you hear about, but there’s still all the other stuff. That’s police work. It’s still work to do, but the tools changed.”

“Not the crime.”

“Not at 3 a.m.”