CRB finds no policy violations after reviews of July and November incidents alleging EPD assisted ICE
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Summary
The Citizens Review Board reviewed two incident complaints (July 1 and Nov. 5, 2025) alleging Eugene Police Department aided federal immigration enforcement; the auditor's office and EPD investigations found no state-law or policy violations and no assistance to ICE, and board members urged clearer public communication to reduce misidentification.
The Citizens Review Board reviewed two incident complaints alleging the Eugene Police Department worked with federal immigration agents and found no policy violations in either case following the auditor's intake and internal investigation.
Rob, presenting the case summaries for the board, said the July 2025 file and the Nov. 5, 2025 file were each classified as incident reviews and investigated by Eugene PD's Office of Professional Standards. "The investigation determined members of the Eugene PD did not assist ICE with immigration activities," Rob said while summarizing the July matter; he reported the Nov. 5 review reached the same disposition.
Board members repeatedly noted that many of the incoming complaints stemmed from social media or secondhand reports rather than eyewitness accounts. Several members described watching body-worn video and found officers handled the scenes with patience and appropriate safety practices. One board member observed that the reporting party could pursue civil remedies (insurance or court) for accident-related disputes even when the auditor's office classified a complaint as not warranting police-policy discipline.
The Independent Police Auditor described review work being slow and resource-intensive—citing a January review that included roughly 150 body-worn videos and drone footage—and asked the board to consider more public outreach to explain how and when EPD responds to federal facilities. Board members suggested town halls, neighborhood presentations and clearer website materials so residents can better parse what they see and when to contact police versus other authorities.
No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; members asked staff and the auditor to continue transparency efforts and to offer community-facing education to reduce misidentification and repeated complaints. The board also discussed potential jurisdictional complexity near the federal building, noting that Federal Protective Service has responsibility for building security but that EPD can and historically has responded to criminal reports at that location.
