Abuse of public process

Q: When is a public hearing not a public hearing?

A: When the report which is the focus of the public hearing is released one hour prior to the public hearing

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Update 1/10/07, 10 p.m. – Hearing postponed until 1/24/07. Report (pdf) now here
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When I read the following, taken from a Portland Copwatch e-mail to members of the City Council, I literally could not believe it.

“The Council is set to adopt the second follow-up report on police shootings and deaths in custody on Wednesday at 10:30 AM. After checking with the Auditor, Independent Police Review Division (IPR) staff, and several members of the Citizen Review Committee (CRC) we discovered that the report itself will not be released until 9:30 AM Wednesday, one hour before Council is being asked to adopt it. Obviously, this is not enough time for anyone to be expected to make intelligent and thoughtful comments on this very important issue.

Furthermore, it became clear that not even the members of the CRC, who are expected to be the community eyes and ears for these reports (3.21.070 [J]–“The [IPR] Director and the Citizen Review Committee shall address any policy-related or quality of investigation issues that would warrant further review”), were alerted to the imminent release of the report.

We are asking you to please set another date for the Council to have a full briefing of the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC) report, whether that means delaying the acceptance of the report or simply setting a date at the Council meeting on Wednesday.

This follow-up report is particularly important to many people in the community because it includes a review of the shooting death of Kendra James in May, 2003. It also will review the case of Eddie Homsombath, who was shot by one of the same officers who shot Jose Santos Mejia Poot in 2001.”

So I called the Auditor’s Office, and indeed that is the plan. Release the report at 9:30 a.m., ask the Council to accept it after a Public Hearing at 10:30 a.m. “So what is the purpose of having a public hearing, if the public won’t have had time to read the report?” I asked. “Good question!” was the reply from the person answering the phone at the Auditor’s Office. “We’ll post the report on line, and citizens can submit comments in writing.”

Do or not do. There is no try. Public hearing or no public hearing. There should be no place for token public hearings in Portland, especially on something as important as this.