What We’re Hearing
Over 200 community members have shared their questions and comments to the City of Tigard and Tigard Police Department via email, social media, and listening sessions. We’re using this space to share our responses to those questions. We don’t have all the answers, but working together with Tigard residents we’ll find a path forward to meet the challenges facing our community.
Can you share the memo that Council received about force response?
Yes. Here you go - Force Response Memo: From the Chief to Mayor, Council and City Manager
Has the Police Chief made a statement about the killing of George Floyd?
Chief McAlphine issued a statement in early June. Message from Chief McAlpine on the Death of George Floyd
Does the Tigard police have asset forfeiture programs and laws?
The Tigard Police department participates in the regional Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force with one dedicated Tigard detective. The goal of the task force is to target large-scale drug operations and disrupt the drug trade in the county and across the region. Task force members work to remove tools from criminal organizations in order to deter future crimes and compensate victims. Participating state and local law enforcement agencies may receive some portion of the proceeds from the seized assets after victim compensation and administrative costs have been covered. The funds received by the Tigard police must be accounted for in a separate fund and must be spent in accordance with Federal guidelines. Funding may enhance our budget, however supplantation of existing budget is prohibited. Please see the US Department of Justice & US Department of Treasury Guide to Equitable Sharing for State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies for more details: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-afmls/file/794696/download.
Where can I find information about the Police budget?
The Tigard Police budget is available on the Budget & Finance webpage.
What is the Memphis model that the Chief has talked about bringing to Tigard?
The Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is an innovative police based first responder program that has become nationally known as the "Memphis Model" of pre-arrest jail diversion for those in a mental illness crisis. This program provides law enforcement based crisis intervention training for helping those individuals with mental illness. Involvement in CIT is voluntary and based in the patrol division of the police department. In addition, CIT works in partnership with those in mental health care to provide a system of services that is friendly to the individuals with mental illness, family members, and the police officers.
Chief McAlpine’s initial assessment of the department shows us meeting 7 of the 8 recommendations, because “develop a force continuum” is no longer considered best practice. Here are the 8 recommendations and where Tigard Police stands:
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CAMPAIGN REQUEST |
TIGARD POLICE POLICY |
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS |
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Policy 300.3 Use of Force Graham v. Connor applied |
De-escalation tactics are a component in all training |
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Policy 300.3.4 Carotid Control Hold not authorized Policy 300.1 Use of Force Purpose and Scope Policy 300.4 Deadly Force |
Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint or “carotid artery hold” was removed from our policies in Nov. 2018. A new policy was added specifically banning its use. |
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Policy 300.2.1 Duty to Intercede Policy 340.1.2 Standards of Conduct |
Also covered in Police Academy, reinforced in training and Daily Training Bulletins |
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Policy 300.4.1 Shooting at or from a moving vehicle |
Prohibited unless no other options, immediate/imminent threat to life |
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Develop a force continuum |
None, although Graham v Connor standards apply for the “reasonable and necessary” requirements for the Use of Force. |
Oregon DPSST removed this from training circa 2009. Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) recommends not using this. Legal advisors do not support this either. |
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Policy 300.3.2 Factors Used to Determine the Reasonableness of Force Policy 300.4 Deadly Force Application Graham v Connor applied |
Our approach to force response is more in line with the concept of Constitutional Policing |
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Policy 300.4(b) Fleeing Subject Policy 309.4 Verbal and Visual Warnings |
We train to give verbal warnings in all training disciplines. The standard is to give a verbal warning seeking compliance, if time and circumstances allow, before using force |
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Policy 300.5.1 Reporting the Use of Force, Notification to Supervisor |
All uses of force are reported and reviewed by the Chief of Police. Deadly force is reported to the FBI and the State via the District Attorneys (SB1111) |
Require officers to de-escalate situationsAre the Tigard Police Department’s Use of Force policies available for the public?
Yes. All our policies, including Use of Force, are online and available for public review. The entire Tigard Police Department Policy Manual is available (Use of Force policies begin on pg. 56.)
Are Tigard Police officers allowed to use a carotid choke hold?
No. In November of 2018, Chief McAlpine removed the carotid control hold from the Tigard Police Department’s approved use of force policies. Language explicitly banning its use was added to our policies in June of 2020.
What is the Tigard Police policy on body cameras?
The Tigard Police Department has had in-car dash cameras for over 15 years, which record activity in and outside of patrol cars. We also have body-worn cameras for our K9 handlers, motor officers and School Resource Officers. We are coming to the end of life on our dash cameras and are looking at either replacing them or moving towards a broader distribution of body-worn cameras. The program is expensive and requires personnel to manage the large volume of content recorded. Chief McAlpine is working with the City Manager and City Council to consider expanding the body camera program and explore how it would be funded.
How do the demographics of the Tigard Police Department represent those of the Tigard population?
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Current Tigard Police Officers |
Tigard Population |
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White |
84.0% |
73.1% |
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Latinx |
6.0% |
11.7% |
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Asian or Pacific Islander |
6.0% |
7.8% |
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Two or More Races |
2.0% |
4.7% |
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Black or African American |
2.0% |
2.0% |
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American Indian/Native Alaskan |
0.0% |
0.2% |
Is there a police oversight committee?
Not currently, however that is something the Mayor and City Council will review in the near future.
How often do Tigard Police officers have a Use of Force incident?
Very rarely. Roughly one-tenth of 1% of our annual calls for service in 2017, 2018 and 2019 required the use of force. A ‘Use of Force’ report is written anytime an officer uses physical techniques or tactics, chemicals or weapons and does not necessarily mean anyone was hurt. For instance, a report would be written if a Taser was deployed but did not make contact with anyone.
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Year |
Dispatched Calls |
Officer-Initiated Contacts |
Total Contacts |
Total Use of Force Incidents |
Percentage of Calls Requiring Use of Force |
|
2017 |
21,016 |
19,710 |
40,726 |
39 |
0.10% |
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2018 |
22,454 |
20,028 |
42,482 |
57 |
0.13% |
|
2019 |
22,193 |
16,617 |
38,810 |
55 |
0.14% |
How are Use of Force incidents investigated?
Any time an officer uses a force response, the officer is required to immediately notify his or her supervisor. The supervisor will respond to the scene to identify and interview independent witnesses, take photos of any injuries/evidence and otherwise document the scene. If that supervisor was also involved in the use of force, another supervisor who is not connected to the incident will respond to the scene.
Every officer who uses force is required to issue a written report detailing several factors, including the circumstances of what happened, what they observed prior to using force and why they used the level of force they did. The report is entered into our records system, which initiates the internal review process. Supervisors will add any additional evidence, including photographs, video or audio clips from body cameras or dash cameras and supplemental reports from other officers who may have witnessed the use of force to the case file. The full report is then reviewed by several people in the chain of command, including the Watch Commander, Division Commander, Inspections Officer and Chief of Police to determine whether the Use of Force was justified. In Tigard, the Chief of Police reviews each and every Use of Force incident. If anyone reviewing the report determines the officer took actions that are outside of department policy, the review would stop and an Internal Affairs Investigation would be initiated.
The review and investigation process is entirely different for officer-involved shootings. Tigard Police will never investigate its own police shootings. Any officer-involved shooting would be investigated by an outside agency, such as the Washington County Major Crimes Team. The District Attorney’s Office would review the investigation to determine whether criminal charges would be filed. Any deadly use of force is also reported to the FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice.
How much training do Tigard Police officers get?
In Oregon, the police academy is run by the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) and requires 640 hours of training, including training in cultural competency, police legitimacy and procedural justice. Tigard Police officers receive 80 hours of additional training when they join our team for defensive tactics, firearms training and to learn our databases and department policies. Then, they spend a minimum of 720 hours in standard field training with another officer serving as their coach before they begin patrolling on their own. They are also required to complete 40 hours of training every year in topics such as ethics, First Aid, CPR/AED’s and defensive tactics including firearms and other officer safety topics.
Ongoing training to maintain certification as an Oregon Peace Officer is required by DPSST. You can find those details here.
With the passing of the police services levy in May, 2020, Tigard Police officers will also complete 40 hours of advanced training in crisis intervention and de-escalation. This is very significant. In the last five years, we have only been able to send seven officers to this training because of constraints on our staffing levels for officers on the street. Now, every Tigard Police officer will receive 40 hours of this training, which is taught by mental health experts and covers topics including tone of voice, key words or phrases to use when encountering someone in a mental health crisis and key words or phrases to avoid.
What is the Tigard Police position on School Resource Officers?
The Tigard Police Department has a long history of working collaboratively with the Tigard-Tualatin School District. The School Resource Officer program has been successful for almost two decades. In the past few years due to budget cuts, the Tigard Police Department had to eliminate two of the four SRO positions. With wide support from the community and the school board, an SRO position was added to the levy package that passed in May. That means a third SRO will be added to local schools as soon as hiring and training can be completed. Our high school students recently submitted a petition to Chief McAlpine to consider keeping SRO Brian Imus in their school, citing the invaluable relationship that he has developed over the course of his four years there. The Tigard Police Department School Resource Officer program is designed to create positive relationships with the staff and students, to provide a presence should a serious incident occur and to handle lower-level offenses collaboratively with the schools rather than through the criminal justice system. We are open to ongoing conversations with the Tigard-Tualatin School District to understand and address any concerns students or families may have about our School Resource Officer program to best serve the needs of the community.
How much of the city budget goes to fund police?
In the adopted budget for the current fiscal year (FY 2019-2020), the city’s operating funds are about $75.1 million. Of that, the Police Department budget makes up about 26% or $19.3 million.
The police budget is comprised of the following: $13.3 million, or 69% , for salaries and benefits; $2.6 million, or 13.5%, for supplies, equipment, training and contracts such as photo enforcement and our user fees to the 911/non-emergency dispatch center for Washington County; $3.2 million, or 16.5%, for central services support such as human resources, finance, accounting, information technology, facilities and fleet services; and $270,000, or about 1%, for capital outlay to replace a certain number of police vehicles each year.
The city’s budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year will be adopted by the City Council on June 23, 2020.
Does the recent Police Services Levy include funding for police training?
The Tigard Police will use levy revenue to train all sworn officers in advanced crisis intervention and de-escalation.
What training programs does Tigard use for cultural awareness and sensitivity?
The city sponsors and sends employees to the NW Public Employees Diversity Conference and has offered on-site training opportunities from speakers on a variety of DEI topics. A Police Commander sits on the Building Bridges Steering Committee. Building Bridges fosters learning from the perspectives of members of the Latino, Muslim, African American, and Jewish communities on the traumatic impacts of being targeted by hate, compounded by the challenges of dealing with law enforcement and the legal system.
