0025.00 Procedural Justice

Administrative Rules Adopted by Bureaus Pursuant to Rule Making Authority (ARB)
Policy number
PPB-0025.00
On this page

0025.00, Procedural Justice

Refer:

  • · DIR 0310.00, Professional Conduct and Courtesy
  • · DIR 0310.50, Truthfulness
  • · DIR 0312.50, Identification Policy
  • · DIR 0315.30, Satisfactory Performance
  • · DIR 0344.05, Bias-Based Policing/Profiling Prohibited
  • · DIR 0900.00, General Reporting Guidelines

Definitions:

  • Police Action: Any circumstance, on or off duty, in which a sworn member exercises or attempts to exercise police authority. This includes, but is not limited to, stops, searches, arrests, and use of force.
  • Procedural Justice: The idea of fairness in processes, recognizing that a person’s perception of fairness is strongly impacted by the quality of their experiences and not only the end result of those experiences. The four principles of Procedural Justice are: Voice, Neutrality, Respect, and Trustworthiness.
    • Voice: Give people an opportunity to share their perspective and be heard.
    • Neutrality: Make un-biased decisions guided by consistent and transparent reasoning.
    • Respect: Treat people with dignity and courtesy, and act professionally.
    • Trustworthiness: Be sincere and explain your actions with empathy.

Policy:

1. The Portland Police Bureau is committed to practicing procedural justice. Procedural justice and community policing work together to build public trust and increase police legitimacy.

2. It is important for members to recognize that a person’s perception of fairness is critical to practicing procedural justice. Individual perceptions of fairness can either increase or decrease community trust in the police. Procedural justice establishes principles that help police strive for perceived fairness. The principles of procedural justice are Voice, Neutrality, Respect, and Trustworthiness. Embracing these principles is key to the public perceiving police actions as legitimate. Giving people a chance to speak, applying law and policy neutrally, respecting people, and demonstrating trustworthiness are important to building public trust and confidence in policing.

3. Procedural justice is equally important to internal legitimacy. The Bureau is dedicated to treating members with fairness and respect, creating meaningful and transparent paths for career advancement, maintaining and improving upon a fair accountability system, and seeking member input on policy, procedure, and practice.

Procedure:

1. Procedural Justice Requirements.

1.1. When taking police action and if practical, safe, and tactically feasible, members shall:

1.1.1. Follow Directive 0312.50, Identification, regarding identifying themselves and offering their business card;

1.1.2. Provide their Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) number upon request;

1.1.3. Explain to the person the reason for the contact, unless it would compromise the investigation;

1.1.4. Tell the person whether or not they are free to leave, when asked; and

1.1.5. Attempt to provide clear and intelligible instruction to the person to ensure the safety of all involved.

2. Procedural Justice Practices.

2.1. Members should strive to practice procedural justice in all interactions with the public. Examples of procedural justice practices include, but are not limited to:

2.1.1. Offering people an opportunity to ask questions.

2.1.2. Explaining laws, policies, actions, etc.

2.1.3. Patient, active listening.

2.1.4. Gathering all facts available.

2.1.5. Listening before forming conclusions.

2.1.6. Showing empathy.

2.1.7. Following up and following through.

Effective: 12/15/2022

Next Review: 12/15/2023

Upcoming and Recent Changes

0025.00 Procedural Justice

Effective Date

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