East PDX Today

The City of Gresham completed a use of force review along with a complaint investigation surrounding the March 9 incident at Cheap Charlie’s in downtown Gresham.

The City’s review process is guided by its policies, collective bargaining agreements and state laws.

On March 9, the City’s Homeless Services responded to a report of someone experiencing homelessness and in need of support. While engaging with the individual, the homeless services specialist reported an attempted assault and called the Gresham Police Department for assistance.

After the individual resisted arrest and attempted to assault the officers, a form of conducted energy device (Taser) was deployed. Per Police department policy, because a taser was deployed Gresham Fire and American Medical Response (AMR) arrived to assist at the scene.

• The use of force review found that the non-lethal force used by the Gresham Police Department was justified.
• The complaint investigation concluded in the pre-investigative assessment that there was no violation of police policy or law. An appeal was filed and after a second review, the initial findings of no policy violations or criminal activity were confirmed.

After completing the reviews and in alignment with the City’s goal of continuous improvement and learning, Gresham is providing training and coaching for the officers involved as well as for the Homeless Services team.  

As Gresham Police is implementing the recommendations of the Police Organizational Assessment Review and the Police Department Strategic Plan, new training and learning opportunities have been identified including incorporating the C.A.L.M. Approach training.

C.A.L.M. training emphasizes effective communication strategies, sound decision-making, humane physical control and restraint techniques, and active medical monitoring to ensure the safety of everyone involved in incidents.

“It is important that we learn from this situation and continue to improve our services as well as build trust with our community,” said City Manager Nina Vetter.

Gresham remains committed to continuous learning and growth across all departments.

Read more about Gresham Police accountability.

Original source can be found here