An Oregon police officer has been suspended by Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer for an incident this past weekend.
Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman ordered Officer Chris Humphreys be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into his use of force regarding a 12-year-old girl who police said resisted arrest.
Police said the incident started last Saturday (11/14) when a large party broke up that involved several known gang members. Officer Humphreys and another officer responded.
Police said the girl struck the other officer in the face. Humphreys tried to take the girl into custody at a light rail station. When she resisted arrest, he fired a bean bag at her at close range.
Medics later discovered it bruised her thigh.
After reviewing video from TriMet, Sizer said she was troubled by it.
According to Bureau spokeswoman Mary Wheat there is no hard and fast rule in regards to a specific distance a beanbag gun can be fired. She said it depends on the situation.
The police union is upset about the suspension and said it could call for the resignation of Sizer if she doesn’t back their officers.
Portland Police Association president, Scott Westerman, said that Sizer’s actions are about office politics and that Humphreys is being punished for his role in another high profile case. In that case, James Chasse died in 2006 while police officers were taking him to the hospital with broken ribs. The state medical examiner ruled Chasse died of blunt force trauma to the chest. Investigators said that Chasse’s chest was crushed after Humphreys landed on top of him during a struggle.
The police department is still facing a lawsuit in that case.
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