The Oregonian (Portland, OR) 
January 10, 2006 

NEW PORTLAND PANEL TO CHECK FOR RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE
The City Council will announce today on the creation of a new racial profiling committee

By Maxine Bernstein

The City Council will announce today on the creation of a new racial profiling committee, co-chaired by Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer and Jo Ann Bowman, a former legislator and associate director of Oregon Action. Its first meeting is Jan. 30.

The oversight committee would meet regularly to monitor the Portland Police Bureau's traffic stop data collection, review police policies and take community comment on how to eliminate racial profiling.

The re-establishment of such a committee was one of the ideas that came out of five community meetings on racial profiling last year, sponsored by the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center, Oregon Action and the Center for Intercultural Organizing.

The bureau began collecting data on police traffic stops in 2001 under former Chief Mark Kroeker, who formed a Blue Ribbon Panel on Racial Profiling. But the panel failed to meet regularly and dissolved.

Robert King, president of the police union who had not participated in prior community listening sessions, at a council meeting in October chided the organizers as essentially labeling Portland's cops as racist. He denied that any profiling exists. Since then, he's met with Bowman and decided to come to the table.

The council is set to discuss the committee's creation at 9:30 a.m. today in council chambers.

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