The Citizen Review Committee’s Taser/Less-lethal Force Workgroup is scheduled for a public meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 1:30 – 3:00 PM at the City Hall Auditor’s office to discuss and review recommendations from the CRC to the Portland City Council. You can attend this informal meeting.
Members of the Mental Health Association of Portland, as well as other concerned persons and organization were contacted and interviewed by the city Auditor’s office for this review.
Who are the members of the Independent Police Review’s Citizen Review Committee?
F.G. (Jamie) Troy II is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and of Lewis and Clark Law School. He works with the law firm of Troy, Rosenberg and Wolfe, P.C. where his practice focuses on Juvenile and Family Law cases. He is on the Board of the Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund working to fund the education of future attorneys dedicated to eliminating bigotry and discrimination based on sexual orientation. An avid marathoner, Mr. Troy currently leads training runs for the Portland Marathon Training Clinic and looks forward to increasing the double digit number of marathons he has completed to date. He is an East Coast (Virginia) transplant who has resided in the area for over a decade. He lives in Northeast Portland. Appointed October 2009
Michael Bigham is a retired Port of Portland Police lieutenant, who went on to add a Master’s in Fine Arts degree to his Master’s in Criminal Justice and has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He also volunteers with low income housing residents, the homeless community, special needs individuals, and drug treatment programs. Mr. Bigham currently serves as the Chair of CRC, as well as the Chair of the Taser/Less-lethal Force Workgroup. Additionally, he is a member of the Audubon Society and Sierra Club. Appointed February 2005
Jeff Bissonnette is the Organizing Director for the Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon (CUB), representing residential utility ratepayers in Oregon. In that role, he leads CUB’s legislative program and coalition work. He has been appointed by the Public Utility Commission to the Portfolio Options Committee, overseeing renewable energy products offered to customers and serves on the boards of the Northwest Energy Coalition and the Renewable Northwest Project. Mr. Bissonnette was formerly a board member of Portland Community Media and the Steering Committee of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters’ Multnomah County chapter. Appointed October 2009
Loren Eriksson retired after 25 years of service as a Portland firefighter and volunteers his time and resources to help the Portland community. He is a member of the Bureau’s Use of Force and Performance Review Boards and serves on the Employee Information System Advisory Committee. Additionally, Mr. Eriksson is a member of the Force Task Force (analyzing the Bureau’s use of force data and providing recommendations to the Chief of Police). Appointed December 2003
Hank Miggins has an extensive background in multi-faceted services with experience in managing diverse personnel. He was a former City Manager for the City of Spokane and is currently a mortgage broker. Mr. Miggins has held positions with Multnomah County: Animal Control Director, Deputy County Auditor, Executive Assistant to the Chair of the Multnomah County Chair of County Commission and Interim Chair of the Multnomah County Commission. He is a member and serves on the Board of Directors for: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon, Board of Bar Governors, Oregon State Bar Oregon, and the Center for Airway Science. He is a former member of civic organizations that include: the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs, Project Pooch (a rehabilitation program pairing dogs with incarcerated youth), and the Mainstream Youth Program, Inc. Miggins lives in Southwest Portland and has served on the CRC since 2001. Appointed October 2001
André Pruitt is a graduate of Linfield College. He received a Master’s degree in Social Work from Portland State University in 2000. He became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2004. Mr. Pruitt is currently the Clinical Supervisor at the Oregon Health Science University Avel Gordly Center for Healing, an outpatient mental health and addictions program. He has provided diversity trainings and lectures nationally, including multicultural issues regarding HIV/AIDS in Oregon and Washington. In 1983, he participated in the international group “Up with People” that built bridges of communication through music and dance. Appointed February 2011
Ayoob Ramjan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology and a Masters in Business Administration from Marylhurst University. He is currently a Research and Development Manager at Hewlett Packard Company in Vancouver, Washington — Printer Division. Mr. Ramjan served as a citizen member on the City of Portland Budget Committee from 2006 to 2009, an appointment then by Mayor Potter. He has volunteered since 2001 on the Portland Police Advisory Committee; he also served as the citizens’ member on the Portland Police Performance Review Board; and is a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizen Advisory Committee. Mr. Ramjan is an active board member of the Islamic Social Services of Oregon State, an all-volunteer social service organization which helps Portlanders in need. He is an active member in his community trying to bridge the gap of understanding between the diverse communities of Portland. He lives in Southwest Portland. Appointed October 2009
Rochelle Silver holds a Ph.D. from the University of Portland. In her career as a clinical psychologist, she served as Chief Psychologist for the Dammasch State Hospital and for the Oregon State Hospital as well as having maintained a part-time private practice in psychology. Additionally, she was a member and the chairperson of the Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners and of the Oregon Board of Private Investigators. Currently, Dr. Silver provides consultation and supervision to Oregon licensed psychologists. She also volunteers with several organizations: tutoring students in the SMART program in the Portland Public School system; teaching English as a Second Language through Edúcate Ya; and acting as a Certified Long-term Ombudsman for the State of Oregon, advocating for the rights of elders and others living in long-term care facilities. Appointed February 2011
Steve Yarosh is an attorney and small business owner. He has substantial experience handling claims alleging police misconduct and civil rights violations. Mr. Yarosh has worked extensively on both sides of that issue: first as a plaintiffs’ attorney in Chicago where he successfully represented clients in cases alleging police misconduct, and later as a city attorney where he successfully defended individual officers in cases alleging misconduct. He has served as a courtroom mediator, an Assistant U.S. Attorney and a federal prosecutor. In addition, Mr. Yarosh was one of the lead trial attorneys in the Waco, Texas case involving the Branch Davidians. While living in Chicago, Illinois, Yarosh successfully led a fight to save a downtown neighborhood park. And in that same spirit, he currently serves on Metro as a member of the Natural Areas Oversight Committee. Appointed February 2011