Council approves two settlements tied to Portland Police Bureau incidents totaling $475,000

Portland City Council approved two financial settlements related to separate Portland Police Bureau incidents during the meeting.

1) Joseph Johnson settlement ($100,000): Risk management staff said Joseph Johnson was detained in March 2023 after officers observed a firearm in a parked rental vehicle; police later concluded one occupant acknowledged ownership but officers arrested Johnson on suspicion of possession. Risk management told council that officers did not prepare reports documenting probable cause and other details. City risk management negotiated a $100,000 settlement, inclusive of attorney fees, to resolve civil-rights and state-law claims. Assistant Chief Craig Dobson told council the incident predated body-worn cameras for the unit involved; four officers received corrective action for deficiencies in report-writing. The ordinance authorizing the settlement passed on the council floor; the roll-call vote recorded one no vote (Councilor Zimmerman) and the remainder in favor.

2) Megan Oppbrook settlement ($375,000): The city attorney's office described Oppbrook's lawsuit as alleging constitutional (excessive-force) and state tort claims after she was injured when a rubber-ball distraction device (RBDD) detonated at her feet during a protest near the North Precinct on June 25-26, 2020. Oppbrook described the device's effects in testimony: "At the time that it exploded, I was unable to hear anything. All I could see was stars," she said in council testimony and described ongoing injuries including concussion-related symptoms and shrapnel wounds that later required medical treatment. The Portland Police Bureau's internal review and subsequent policy work led the bureau to discontinue RBDDs; the city attorney, risk management, and the bureau recommended settlement to avoid further litigation risk and attorney-fee exposure. The council approved the settlement; roll-call votes were recorded with broad support.

Why this matters: Both settlements close pending litigation and include public acknowledgment of operational and documentation failures. One settlement emphasized report-writing failures and corrective action for officers; the other is tied to use of a crowd-control device the bureau has since removed from inventory and its broader public-order policy review.

What happens next: For the Johnson matter, corrective actions were taken and the bureau said it aims to improve reporting practices. For the Oppbrook matter, the bureau said it has revised crowd-control policies and is pursuing non-lethal tactics and training emphasizing de-escalation and dialogue-led approaches. Council public testimony urged increased transparency and more systemic policy changes to prevent similar injuries.