The Council needs to step up

The Oregonian today carries an excellent editorial on investigation of sexual assault crimes in Portland. I disagree on only one issue: they title it “Chief Sizer needs to step up”. When I covered the report by the Auditor in mid-June, I concluded,

“I want to see a public response by the Council to this Auditor’s Report. I’d like to hear reference to it at tomorrow morning’s City Council hearing. I want to see all its recommendations implemented immediately – with additional allocations in the Budget where necessary. I want to see a follow-up study in 12 months, and I want it to find much improved response and service by 911 operators, the Portland Police bureau, and area hospitals. This study should elicit outrage and immediate action from all Portland’s men and women. A rape case solving rate of 16% over six years, when the highest rate for big cities is 80%, calls for an unusually swift and sure response. How about it, gentlemen of the Council?“

Chief Sizer is in charge of the Police Bureau, that’s true. But bureau heads serve at the pleasure of the City Council. The Council has approved the Budget since the Auditor’s report broke. I haven’t seen any reports of response by the Council since June, and the Oregonian‘s editorial board’s comments today confirm they haven’t, either. We do indeed need leadership from Chief Sizer. We also need more evidence from the five men on the City Council that they consider this problem more urgent than, say, lobbying regulations, accepting money from the Portland Business Alliance, assistance to first-time homebuyers, appointments to the Sustainable Development Commission, or duct tape.

Quoting again from the Oregonian‘s editorial in June, titled Portland shrugs at rape:

“This isn’t just troubling, as Potter characterized the problem in his official response to the audit. It’s a system that somehow fails to capitalize on the staff’s many good qualities, then allows rapists to run free.”

Thank you, Oregonian editorial board, for staying on this.

How about it, gentlemen of the Council?