Eugene Police Auditor Completing Investigations Into May 29-31 Police Pesponse

Investigations into how Eugene Police responded to protests and riots May 29-31 are drawing to a close, the city police auditor’s office said Tuesday.

“Several spontaneous demonstrations began in Eugene on May 29, 2020, in the national response to the killings of Black Americans at the hands of the police. Over the course of that weekend, some demonstrations became violent,” the police auditor said.

The City declared city-wide curfews and designated some of the demonstrations as unlawful gatherings.

The Eugene Police Department (EPD) ultimately used force on some demonstrators, including tear gas, pepper spray, Pepperballs, 40mm sponge rounds, and field force batons (PR-24s).

The Office of the Police Auditor was contacted by dozens of community members regarding this and other conduct by police over the course of the weekend.

The community impact case investigations include:

• Six investigations into allegations of misconduct
• Six incident reviews, including high-level review of the events of each night of the weekend of May 29
• Two inquiries
• One service complaint

“The investigations are nearing their conclusion,” according to the auditor’s office.

In a community impact case, the Chief of Police issues a preliminary adjudication at the close of the investigative process; the entire investigative file is then provided to the members of the Civilian Review Board.

Per City ordinance, the CRB must meet within 14 days of receiving the case to present and discuss its determinations on the case.

Within 30 days of receiving the case, the CRB shall: (1) concur with the preliminary adjudication; (2) develop recommendations regarding the complaint, investigation, or relevant policy and procedural issues; and/or (3) require the City to re-open the investigation. The latter is an option only if the CRB finds that either (1) the investigation was incomplete or inadequate, and the CRB believes that additional investigation could change the adjudication, or (2) if the CRB finds that the adjudication is not supported by substantial evidence.

“These investigations are all nearly complete; currently the Auditor’s Office and EPD chain of command are preparing recommended adjudications for the Chief of Police,” the auditor’s office said. “Once the Chief has issued his preliminary adjudications, the investigative file will promptly be provided to the CRB.”

According to the auditor:

It is important to note that the investigative files are extensive: body-worn camera footage alone includes over 600 hours of video from the weekend. EPD provided additional staff and resources to aid in the investigations, and the investigations have been the priority for Police Auditor staff as well. The Civilian Review Board will be receiving and discussing substantial, in-depth investigations into officers’ actions during that weekend, and they will be under significant time pressure to do so.

The Civilian Review Board will review the community impact case in a public meeting. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will take place on Zoom. Information on how to access the meeting will be posted on the CRB website, on our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the City’s public meetings calendar.

The Police Auditor’s office deeply appreciates the involvement of the community in bringing these concerns to our attention; we are also grateful for the community’s patience as we have worked diligently to complete these investigations.

Eugene is fortunate to have a robust civilian oversight system, including the Police Auditor’s office to investigate complaints, the Civilian Review Board’s oversight of our office, and the Police Commission’s input into EPD policies. We urge the public to utilize the oversight system to address their concerns. We are confident in the ability of our oversight systems to help our community through these difficult times, to a better and more equitable future.