“When will I have to preside over another memorial service for someone killed by a member of the Portland Police Bureau?” the Rev. Chuck Currie wrote in a HARSH letter sent to Mayor Sam Adams late last night.
The letter blames Adams for the "years of chaos" in the police bureau "since you took office" and says allowing Besner to be promoted "will provide further evidence that either you have no control over the Police Bureau, due in large part to your self-inflected political wounds, or that you simply do not have the political capacity to led the city."
He was responding to an Oregonian story published earlier in the day in which Chief Mike Reese confirmed that Besner would be made a sergeant in a ceremony on Thursday—never mind the fact that Besner has been repeatedly disciplined for conduct like inappropriately Tasering and menacing people. Reese tells the O that Besner did well on the examinations used to slate who deserves a bump.
The O says Gwerder's family also have pleaded with the police bureau not to promote Besner. And earlier Monday Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch submitted a letter that broke down Besner’s misconduct over the years—along with the costs associated with each incident. “It’s amazing that Besner continues to patrol our streets, much less that the bureau would consider promoting him.”
Handelman's letter notes that last month, when Officer Ron Frashour was fired for killing Aaron Campbell in January, Reese cited past misconduct in Frashour's discipline letter as added justification for the dismissal. Frashour's rap sheet, however, is smaller than Besner's
Keep reading to see the full letters sent by Currie and Handelman.