Independent review of Portland police shootings issues seven recommendations; bureau broadly agrees but resists mandatory PIT sign-off

Portland ' The Office of Independent Review (OIR) Group presented its ninth periodic report to the City Council on Feb. 2, reviewing 10 completed administrative investigations of officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths closed between 2019 and 2022.

Kelsey Lloyd, acting deputy director of the Independent Police Review, said the report covers a range of serious incidents and is intended to bolster transparency: "This current report covers 10 incidents that occurred between 2019 and 2022."

OIR's review team, led during the presentation by Julie Ruhlin and Michael Giannakko, summarized findings across the cases and made seven recommendations focused on the bureau's review processes, investigative protocols, training and the timing of reviews. Ruhlin told councilors the incidents in this cycle included two fatal officer-involved shootings, three shootings that wounded subjects, four instances in which officers fired but did not hit anyone, and one in which a subject in a vehicle took his own life after a long standoff.

Michael Giannakko said OIR's primary proposal is procedural: the police review board and the chief should make a formal yes-or-no determination about pre-shooting conduct ' the tactical decisions and de-escalation attempts that lead up to a use of force. "The recommendation is intended to reform that system so that there is a yes no on that," he said, adding that a formal finding would more consistently produce remediation such as retraining when performance falls short.

Other recommendations asked the bureau to strengthen how it tracks and implements recommendations from training and internal reviews, to avoid withholding OIR reviews during active litigation, to ensure investigators probe discrepancies between officer accounts and physical evidence, and to improve communication between dispatchers and responding officers in calls involving suicidal ideation.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) leaders said they agreed with most of the recommendations and are already taking steps to implement several. "We agree with this recommendation," Chief Bob Day said of the pre-shooting review recommendation, and he told councilors the bureau will incorporate elements of the proposal into its satisfactory performance standards for internal affairs reviews.

The bureau was less receptive to OIR's call for mandatory supervisory permission before deploying a PIT maneuver. Chief Day described the PIT as a use-of-force option that often requires rapid, officer-led decisions, and he said supervisors generally monitor calls over the radio and are present to intervene if necessary. "This is the singular recommendation that we have some disagreement with," he told Council, arguing for frontline ownership of time-sensitive tactical choices rather than a strict, universal requirement for preapproval.

Councilors questioned OIR and PPB staff on specifics, including when the pre-shooting decision-making window begins (OIR said it can start as early as the call for service), how investigators should address discrepancies between a shooting officer's account and forensic evidence, and how PPB will track and report progress on implementing recommendations. Chief Day and professional-standards staff said the professional standards division will centralize tracking and that a SharePoint workflow and assigned staff will enable reporting back to council.

Multiple councilors pressed PPB on responses to incidents involving people in behavioral-health crises. OIR noted that four of the cases in the report involved individuals in crisis, and presenters urged better coordination between dispatch, crisis-response partners and officers to reduce risk and improve outcomes.

OIR and PPB emphasized continued public engagement: Kelsey Lloyd reminded the council that "there will also be a public meeting tonight at 6PM hosted by the citizen review committee, and OIR folks will be there to answer questions about this report," and the council scheduled public testimony on the report at its next formal meeting.

Next steps: PPB said it will provide more detailed follow-up on implementation timelines and tracking tools, OIR will participate in the scheduled public meeting tonight, and councilors asked staff to return with periodic updates on the bureau's progress implementing the recommendations.