Just another great example of a public employee defined benefit pension train wreck. $50K a year in retirement for a guy who spent a quarter of his employment behind the desk because he was unfit to be on the streets doing the job he was actually hired for. And the news a couple weeks ago the PERS employers will have to increase payments by 45%. Madness. We're firing today's workers to pay for the too generous retirement of yesterday's workers.

It's time to march on the capitol.

Hanousek also had a propensity to douse protestors in pepper spray back around the time of the Iraq War in 2003. He was a defendant in a federal lawsuit for teaming up with Nazi cop Mark Kruger to attack a 90-pound woman on the sidewalk during a protest in March 2003.

Willamette Week had this to say about him a while back:

Joseph Hanousek: Hanousek, who's been the subject of three criminal probes in the past decade, is distrusted not only by Portland lefties but by fellow cops.

In 1996, due to a technical glitch, a ham-radio operator overheard Hanousek talking to a prostitute on his cell phone, and told police the cop seemed to be trading information about upcoming prostitution sweeps for the promise of fellatio. Questioned by investigators, Hanousek, then a nine-year cop, admitted asking the prostitute if she enjoyed giving blow jobs (yes, she said) but denied having sex or planning to.

In 1997, Hanousek's partner and friend, Officer Steven Regalado, was busted for intimidating criminals into helping him sell drugs he'd stolen on the job. Immediately after Regalado's arrest, the police union contacted higher-ups, saying Hanousek had approached them with concerns about his partner just the day before. But some cops suspected Hanousek came forward only because he was tipped off. Two officers told investigators they heard Hanousek say, "I kept telling Regalado he was not smart enough to do that, that he didn't have the organizational skills to pull this off." And one of Regalado's drug buyers told cops she felt Hanousek may have "turned a blind eye." Investigators found evidence suggesting Regalado and Hanousek made a bogus arrest, but there wasn't enough proof to make Hanousek a full-blown suspect.

Shortly thereafter, cops' concerns about Hanousek sparked the infamous Centralgate overtime-fraud investigation. In deposition testimony, Officer Eddie Anderson said Hanousek was one of two officers who "probably... stole the most." Due to lack of evidence, no charges were filed.

Hanousek became a favorite villain of Portland's left in March 2002 [sic], after he was caught on video appearing to laugh after blasting a young female protester in the face with red-pepper spray (see "Tales of the Tape," WW , April 2, 2003).

In spring of 2003, citing Hanousek's "extensive history" of failing to show up for trial, county drug prosecutors began refusing to charge any of his arrests. Shortly thereafter, the district attorney's office initiated a criminal probe of a questionable Hanousek arrest, before finding insufficient evidence.

Contacted by WW, Hanousek said he's still a cop because the suspicions were unfounded. "I think everything's been investigated," he said, "but I'm still on the job."

Not anymore, dude.

Rule #3: Don't put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Surely a bad cop. Unquestionably. Even the DA's wouldn't use his testimony? That says something right there.

The real question is if the system is corrupted or is this just a bad apple. I see it as systematic, but I have also met plenty of decent cops in Portland.

Solidarity Forever! The Union makes us strong!

At least it was on a bus!

There is always 2 sides to every story. I know Joe personally and yes, he had made mistakes but he did serve Oregon and deserves his pension. If he didn't, he would have been fired years ago.