Hales Hires Police Officer to Oversee Police Bureau

Portland Mercury:

Potentially raising eyebrows among police accountability advocates, Mayor Charlie Hales today announced a curious new hire: He's asking a longtime police officer, Deanna Wesson-Mitchell, to serve as a senior policy director in charge of overseeing the Portland Police Bureau. Wesson-Mitchell, after serving nine years as a Portland cop, will take over for the recently retired Baruti Artharee, a well-respected African American community leader. Artharee, an outsider, had taken the job to help Hales reckon with one of his signature campaign issues: shaking up the police bureau in light of a federal investigation that not only found our cops use unconstitutional force against the mentally ill but also raised questions about the bureau's relations with the city's black community. Wesson-MItchell, of course, is an insider. She comes with high praise from both her former boss, Chief Mike Reese, and her former union president, Daryl Turner of the Portland Police Association. Both lavished kind words, in a release supplied by Hales' office, on the hire of a new sparring partner both formerly held sway over. “We are very pleased that the mayor’s office has selected Deanna for this important role,” Reese said. “I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the work Deanna has done at the Police Bureau. In addition to being an excellent police officer, in her recent role in the Personnel Division, she has assisted the bureau in recruiting and hiring diverse officer candidates. She has also been a member of the Community and Police Relations Committee and taken an active role in helping the bureau with issues regarding equity.” That was echoed by Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association. “I think she’d be a wonderful addition to the mayor’s staff. I look forward to working with her,” Turner said. Hales' release took pains to mention, however, some of the difficult work Wesson-Mitchell has done while working as an officer—the message being Wesson-Mitchell is hardly some grunt rank-and-file officer who took orders and that was all. After years of working as an investigative officer and patrol officer, she's been in the bureau's personnel division, helping the very white cop shop add some diversity to its new hiring classes. She's also been visible in sensitive efforts aimed at introducing the concept of "equity" to the bureau: working on the bureau's old racial profiling committee and serving as a member of the city's Community and Police Relations Committee, a group that meets under the auspices of the Human Rights Commission. At one CPRC meeting I attended last year, Wesson-Mitchell notably defended Reese's decision to fire Ron Frashour, the cop who shot and killed Aaron Campbell, and the city's efforts to keep him from returning to work. She spoke up even as other officers on the panel expressed their dismay at the city's efforts. “I am very excited to continue the equity work began in the police bureau two and a half years ago,” Wesson-Mitchell said in Hales' release. “We have made forward progress and, with support of the Mayor’s office, will continue to build capacity and specific skills, which promote equity in both service to Portland’s diverse communities and internal operations.” She earned $78,990 last year as a cop. I've reached out to accountability advocates for any comments, concerns, or cheers, and I'll update when I hear back. For the full release from Hales' office, including Wesson-Mitchell's background info, hit the jump. She's the second new policy director hired this month by Hales. State Senator Jackie Dingfelder officially joins Hales' staff next month. Mayor Charlie Hales today announced the addition Deanna Wesson-Mitchell to his staff. She will serve as policy director for Portland Police. Wesson-Mitchell is a nine-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau. She is a sworn officer. “She is of, and from, the community. She is of, and from, the bureau,” Mayor Hales said. “She is focused on the goal of making this the best urban police departments in the country. She’s exactly who we need right now.” Wesson-Mitchell was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Jefferson High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Since joining the Portland Police Bureau in 2004, Wesson-Mitchell has served as a patrol officer (2004-08), an investigative officer (2008-11) and recruitment coordinator for the Personnel Division. She also has been a Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) instructor, and has been involved with the Making Positive Choices Youth Forum; Racial Profiling Committee; Citywide Diversity Committee; Police Equity: Leadership Council; and Community and Police Relations Committee. She lives in Lents with her husband, JaMarr Mitchell, and their sons. Her first day in the mayor’s office will be Nov. 18. “I am very excited to continue the equity work began in the police bureau two and a half years ago,” Wesson-Mitchell said. “We have made forward progress and, with support of the Mayor’s office, will continue to build capacity and specific skills, which promote equity in both service to Portland’s diverse communities and internal operations.” Portland Police Chief Mike Reese praised the hire. “We are very pleased that the mayor’s office has selected Deanna for this important role,” Reese said. “I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the work Deanna has done at the Police Bureau. In addition to being an excellent police officer, in her recent role in the Personnel Division, she has assisted the bureau in recruiting and hiring diverse officer candidates. She has also been a member of the Community and Police Relations Committee and taken an active role in helping the bureau with issues regarding equity.” That was echoed by Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association. “I think she’d be a wonderful addition to the mayor’s staff. I look forward to working with her,” Turner said. Under Portland’s commissioner style of government, the five elected members of the Portland City Council also serve as bureau commissioners. Hales’ bureaus include Portland Police, as well as several others. Hales, who took office in January, initially hired Baruti Artharee to serve as policy director for police. Artharee retired this fall. Wesson-Mitchell is the second recent hire for the mayor. Earlier in October, he announced that State Sen. Jackie Dingfelder will leave the Legislature and will join the staff as a senior policy director. Wesson-Mitchell and Dingfelder join Josh Alpert and Ed McNamara as the primary policy directors for the mayor. All four work under the direction of Chief of Staff Gail Shibley. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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