The Challenge before the Oregon State Police
Let us start by saying the Oregon State Police is outraged any time a Law Enforcement Officer breaks their oath and condemn any actions or tactics that go against Law Enforcement training or general human decency.
As Oregon’s statewide law enforcement agency, we wish to reassure the public that we do not condone and will not tolerate this type of conduct. Our troopers take a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution and our profession is based on the core values of loyalty, dedication, integrity, honor and compassion. We recognize and value the sanctity of human life and we believe all persons should be treated humanely and with dignity.
This agency has been actively engaged in developing and training our workforce to embrace inclusion. We recognize the importance of serving all people, regardless of difference, in a way that respects their dignity. While difficult to recognize right now, OSP’s policing has made significant advancements in recent years. OSP has learned lessons from prior actions that reflect poorly on today’s standards. In recent years we have purposefully sought out community partners that will help us build a better future. Our work is evident as seen through our in enhanced approaches incorporating inclusion, equity and diversity into our decision-making model.
This is a link to our most recent Oregon State Police Affirmative Action Plan, where on page 14 you will learn about our outreach efforts and on page 17 where it will show the investment the agency has made in training staff. We are currently building our 2019-2021 report that will contain more about the department’s most recent initiatives.
We strive to become more transparent with our data. Sharing information like our Uniform Crime Reporting Dashboard: https://bit.ly/3duRLqs our Patrol Activity Dashboard: https://bit.ly/2U6hbTx
We have revised policies to enhance procedural justice, significantly reduced use of force by troopers and have trained our workforce to understand that holding each other accountable is key to a cultural shift in policing.
We also have continued to support and grow an agency-wide Inclusion program along with training all OSP Staff in Implicit Bias.
Despite these advances, we know we have more work ahead. We need to embrace the concerns and criticism that have been amplified during these protests and use this time to reexamine our policies and approach; further, we understand we must work tirelessly to earn and retain the trust of communities we serve. We need the community’s help as we continue our efforts to build a workforce more representative of the gender, ethnic, linguistic and racial diversity of Oregon. This organization wants to have a staff that reflects our demographics in this state, and this is an effort we cannot undertake alone.
Attaining success in these efforts will not be easy; it will require unconventional partnerships, commitment, dedication, and an unyielding willingness to learn from the past. We must work together to build a future that ensures fairness, respect, dignity, security, and justice for all.
