Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Police Da topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident tells Polk County commissioners DA and Salem police lack recorded account of interaction
Summary
During open public comment a resident said a transcript of an Aug. 29 interaction shows Salem Police acknowledged no recorded conversation with the district attorney's office; the resident urged commissioners to obtain records and accountability. No action was taken.
A member of the public used the three-minute public comment period at the Jan. 8 Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting to criticize the district attorney's office and the Salem Police Department for what the speaker described as a lack of recorded documentation of an interaction involving a person named Robert.
The commenter said they contacted the Polk County district attorney for guidance and that the DA told them "Robert could come in if he had business" but that if police could no longer help, the person would have to leave and could return only with unrelated new business. The commenter said they obtained a response from Salem Police indicating there is no record to review of the relevant conversation.
“I contacted the Polk County DA for guidance and was advised Robert could come in if he had business... The DA said Robert could always return with new business provided that the new business conducted that was not related to the old business,” the speaker said, and later added, “We, the citizens of Polk County, pay their salaries.”
The speaker said the matter is "in the hands of the Salem City Manager and the police chief to make comments before it's adjudicated on the fourteenth." The board did not take action on the comment during the meeting.
The chair closed the public comment period after the speaker's three minutes elapsed and moved the meeting to routine approvals.
