Police Press Release: http://www.portlandonline.com/police/pbnotify.cfm?&content_id=2107&action=ViewContent

Portland Tribune: http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129943520157964800

The officers were identified early this morning. Tarik Singh probably has relatives overseas to notify. The PPB did say previously they were trying to notify overseas relatives. I sure would not want to find out about a relative being seriously wounded from news sources.

Another press release for Adams to show his face? He does know how to campaign.

Hotter pepper spray, is this getting ready for the protesters that may be uprising in our city as they have been in Wisconsin?

Tasers nonlethal weapons? Forget it. We had two fatal tasers last year, a shoplifter,

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0110/697226.html

and a naked guy freaking out in his apartment,

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/30-4

Good luck with this “life saving” initiative.

I for one am encouraged that the PPB is acknowledging that there is a problem with the number of officer involved fatalities and is starting to take steps to correct it.

I think we can all agree that this one change isn't going to solve all our problems. That said, I fail to see how criticizing the PPB for starting to take steps to address the problem does anything to advance the cause.

With any luck the city and the PPB can build on this small step and reduce the unnecessary loss of life, be it officer or civilian.

Without a change in attitude, more powerful weapons aren't going to change anything for the better.

How about just torturing people? You know, you get a summons or such from the city to report to the Office of Correct Behavior for some 'thought correction'. Nobody acts up. No need for police!

Given the low number of perps that are actually prosecuted by the MultCo D.A. (vs. plea bargains and community injustice), I welcome the frontier justice dispensed by the PPB.

If you can't respect the law, at least fear law enforcers.

Jack,

When people are wearing a lot of thick clothing, the Tasers very often will fail to contact the skin. When a cop uses less-lethal and it fails, people might die next. They're switching to the XP Taser cartridges (which have a bit more mass in the darts), the ones recommended for colder climates where people often have a lot of clot, but weren't around when the PPB originally got their Tasers. Isn't it a good thing that they have a more reliable tool less likely to lead to gun use? Isn't it a (perhaps small) change for the better?

I don't like it when humans die, and I can't think of a single good argument for unreliable or ineffective less-lethal weapons.

What I'm most excited about is in the next couple years, it looks like they're investing in helmet cams. They've been testing a few different models according to some budget request documents I found on Google. Looks like the current hangup is the design at the moment doesn't preserve chain of custody for the video. Once that is solved, I hope they deploy them widely.

Technology has made America a much less corrupt country in just the last few decades. I think the trend can continue. You may disagree.

It might be nice to have someons thinking about whether the taser has any useful purpose other than punishment.

Yes, when some guy is kneeling on the ground with his hands in the air, they really aren't necessary. Let's start there.

Yes, when some guy is kneeling on the ground with his hands in the air, they really aren't necessary. Let's start there.

Well when you put it like that... I agree entirely!

The police often advise us to refrain from confronting crime ourselves. They trust our ability to use common sense and good judgment even less than we trust in their ability. But when we rely completely on the police to protect us it becomes more likely we will have to accept their actions completely.

We have become a nation of timid souls, reliant on others to protect us in every threatening or uncomfortable situation. When the public sets a higher bar, openly confronting unacceptable public conduct, it will result in less crime and less need for police to intervene.

Does anyone see any irony here. Two days after one of their officers is shot by a rifle in a public park, the PPB announces a new effort to help avoid the lethal use of force by the police, and everyone (well almost everyone) here is complaining about how ineffective the new efforts will be, even before they are employed. It may not solve the problems, but it is a start. Let's face it, with the absence of sufficient mental health services, the job of policing the community only gets harder. More and better training, yes. More accountability, yes. But hey, it's a dangerous job, and it's always a lot easier to arm chair quarterback, then to perform. How about some recognition for the brave officers who dragged their wounded comrade out of the line of fire.

The "Start" would be for elected officials to act responsibly with community needs taken care of first. Basics, basics, and more basics.

Stop the pet projects - the money for light rail, the subsidizing of SoWhat, the unnecessary money for planning and planning that people don't want, - get the mental health, schools and other services back on track.

Still think that Sam is only thinking of his interests and getting ready should there be an uprising like in Wisconsin against the agenda around here. The threat of nastier hot pepper spray should do the trick of keeping citizens at bay!

Will add, do not feel secure with Sam at the helm of the police bureau and his lack of good judgment and financial management.

How well is our public safety, police bureau funded?

Has the requirement and level of standard of officers been lowered as I recall was several years ago? If this is so, must be very troubling to many within that bureau.

What about the gang enforcement budget?

Just seems the Mayor is more concerned about money for the Milwaukie Light Rail project and "Leed" buildings, couplets, etc. than he is about money needed for public safety.

There's no irony here. The police bureau chose yesterday to wheel out their "solution." And stronger weapons aren't going to prevent the kinds of brutality that officers in Portland have inflicted in recent years, costing the taxpayers millions in damages and causing all sorts of unnecessary harm.