October 2025 Newsletter from the Office of Community-based Police Accountability

The Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA), appointed by Portland City Council in June, is still undergoing background and eligibility checks. These checks must be completed before the Board can officially begin their work.

City code requires that Community Board for Police Accountability members and alternates complete training within six months of their appointment date. The current members were appointed June 18, 2025.

To ensure required training timelines are met, members and alternates recently started their training as background, eligibility and Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) checks continue. If a member or alternate does not successfully pass the external checks, their participation in training will end, and City staff will ask Portland City Council to appoint a new member or alternate to the position.

What training is required?

In addition to the training required of all City volunteers, CBPA members and alternates must complete specialized training and activities to prepare them for their work. This includes: 

• Portland Charter and City Code provisions relevant to their role and responsibilities
• Relevant City personnel policies and procedures
• Relevant laws about public meetings, public records and record retention, legal holds, and ethics laws
• Other federal, state, and local laws including the U.S. Constitution, Oregon Constitution, collective bargaining agreements for the Portland Police Association and Portland Police Commanding Officers Association, and laws concerning discipline for public safety officers
• Portland Police Bureau history, procedures, and policies
• De-escalation, equity, bias-based policing, and crisis intervention
• Participation in a Portland Police Bureau ride-along
• Best practices on civilian oversight of law enforcement
• Video footage use and review
• Educational opportunities to learn about the perspective of people negatively impacted by police interactions
• Confidentiality of personnel records and other information

Following completion of required training, additional training may include mental health first aid, resiliency training, trauma-informed care, and other public safety programming across the City. 

Some CBPA members recently attended the Portland Police Bureau's Community Academy, which offers a hands-on look at police training practices and policies. The Academy moves learning beyond the classroom by demonstrating real-world scenarios that officers encounter on the job.

The Community Academy provided me with a real-world perspective on the risks that law enforcement officers face during daily calls.

Tida Lane-Howe, CBPA Member

Want to get involved?

The CBPA membership is currently full and not accepting applications at this time. However, if you're interested in Portland Police Bureau (PPB) policy and training reform, particularly related to use of force and interactions with people who have or are perceived to have a mental health condition, our partners at the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing (PCCEP) are recruiting new members. PCCEP is the City's advisory body dedicated to monitoring the City's progress toward achieving the goals of the DOJ Settlement Agreement and building trust and transparency between the Portland Police Bureau and community. 

As a PCCEP member, you will:

• Provide recommendations to the Mayor, PPB, Office of Equity and Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on key areas of community concern.
• Review and recommend updates to PPB policies connected to the DOJ Settlement Agreement and other priority issues.
• Offer ongoing feedback to PPB about community engagement initiatives, including those currently underway and those needed in the future.

For questions about this advisory board contact PCCEPinfo@portlandoregon.gov 

Learn more and apply to be a PCCEP member