work in the Traffic Division.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)
Some major personnel changes have been made at the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division.
Speaking from her cell phone a few minutes ago, Assistant Chief of Police Lynnae Berg confirmed that Captain Vince Jarmer and Lieutenant Mark Kruger will soon be leaving the Traffic Division (this division is the most important part of the Bureau for bikes because they write 80% of traffic tickets, they conduct crash investigations, and they work parades).
Berg says that Jarmer is transferring to become commander of the Transit Police Division. Lieutenant Larry O’Dea will be promoted to captain to take Jarmer’s place.
Berg says O’Dea is highly regarded “both internally and externally” and that he “has a strong history in community policing” during his previous tenure as a lieutenant in Central Precinct. Before this assignment, O’Dea served as Berg’s executive officer (her “right-hand man” is how one person put it). This means O’Dea can offer the Traffic Division (and in a sense, the bike community) a straight line of communication to the Chief’s office.
Also moving out of the Traffic Division is Lieutenant Mark Kruger. Berg confirmed that Kruger has been promoted to captain and will now head the Bureau’s Drug and Vice Division.
Kruger’s policing style (and not-so-nice past) have made him the focal point of frustration and dissatisfaction among many in the community. Most recently, his handling of two high-profile bike fatalities increased the calls for him to be disciplined or removed from the Traffic Division.
Despite all that, Kruger’s move to a new division is not being seen as a disciplinary action. It’s clear to many people I’ve talked to both inside and outside of the Police Bureau that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.
Did the intense community outcry around his faux pas in October have something to do with his move? It’s hard to say.
The changing of the guard atop the Traffic Division continues a frustrating trend. Bike advocates and insiders have long grumbled that it is much more difficult to establish a good working relationship with this division because the top position is constantly in flux. Lt. Larry O’Dea will become the fifth leader of the Traffic Division in the past three years.
I have heard good things about O’Dea and I hope to bring you an interview with him soon.
Thanks for reading.
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Yee Haww! the hills are safe again.
Glad he\’s out, but why with a promotion? He should be sacked. He\’s a liability to both the Portland police and to the citizenry that underwrites all potential payouts for misconduct. Alternatively he could be locked in a cage and given jackboots and truncheons to polish…
It doesn\’t seem that the \”intense community outcry around his actions in October\” can claim much credit given that he was PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN.
Let\’s hope they find a nitch more suited for their gifts
… and the replacements near bikes have some background
Oh, happy, happy, sweet day.
Two of the most hard-nosed, rough, over-policing officers in the PPB getting moved to two places where their kind of attitude is actually NECESSARY (Transit Security and Drug/Vice). I like that.
Despite all that, [Herr] Kruger’s move to a new division will not be officially considered a disciplinary action.
I almost fell off my chair from the spin there, Jonathan! I fail to see how a promotion to Captain could remotely be consider a \”disciplinary action\” by anyone.
Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.
New one will be same as the old one.
Word on the streets is that a motorcycle cop laid down there ride on sandy today. Still looking for more details.
I would cheer emphatically…….
but promoting Kruger to captain of the drug and vice squad just raises images of prostitutes being beaten and pepper sprayed on the side of the road instead of legally protesting folk, \’accidentally\’ shot children in drug busts receiving no investigation instead of cyclists…
there is absolutely no excuse for Kruger remaining in the PPD in any capacity.
Officer Brian Hunzeker was left hooked by an auto at NE 28th and Sandy.
From KGW:
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_010808_news_police_officer_hit_bicycle_sandy.124965d.html
Smilie: more info can be found at the Oregonian website. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/01/morning_wreck_blocks_northeast.html
I don\’t think is over yet.
Institutional reform of the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division is still needed.
dat
Good riddance, scumbag!
It\’s hard being a cop.. even harder being a bicyclist.
This is a hopeful development. That said, if they think this is all they need to do to repair relations between the PPB and us, they would be sadly mistaken.
Ah yes, just like the corporate world – promote to the appropriate level of incompetence. I can\’t believe how many times I\’ve seen it.
Hmmmm.
Kruger gets juicy promotion to captain and choice drug and vice appointment for screwing up in traffic. too bad for local druggies and whores.
Jarmer gets appointed to Transit. I predict we\’ll hear from him again…
O\’Dea, a relative nobody, gets appointed to Traffic.
Lucky us.
Thanks BillD and gus.
I am more curious how the replacement handles two traffic officers in particular, which I am sure everyone here knows of whom I speak. (BB+BB)
\”Despite all that, Kruger’s move to a new division will not be officially considered a disciplinary action. It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion. However, one has to wonder whether or not the intense community outcry around his actions in October had something to do with his move.\”
I can\’t believe you actually wrote that, Jonathan. Are you sure you\’re not quoting from the police press release????
So, as Captain in the PPB\’s Drugs and Vice division, what will Kruger be doing? Do captains deal face to face with suspects, storm crack houses at the front of the pack, or do personnel at that level of bureau hierarchy finally only issue orders?
In the example of an officer such as Mark Kruger, does \’capable\’ mean something good? I would imagine a lot of people don\’t think so, and yet, for people in positions outside the bureau itself that don\’t, it seems to be difficult to induce behavioral and attitude changes from people within the bureau. PPB officers have good job security. It takes a lot to get rid of one of them, so Portland is probably stuck with Kruger until he wants to leave. Maybe Kruger will cause less damage to honest, hard working people in Drugs and Vice.
To SpecialK…the concept you speak of used to be called \”the Peter Principle\”…as documented in a business studies book of the 60\’s/70\’s.
So what do our bike leaders have planned for this \’fresh start\’? Scott: Any thoughts of an olive branch welcome to Cptn Larry O’Dea and the PPB?
I\’m a cop, and I ride a bike. I will tell you the former is much harder. All officers are human, thus none are perfect. And there are definitely none who can make everyone happy.
In the first week of my police academy we had a class where an experienced officer from an outside agency opened by asking us, \”Do you really want to do this job?\”
He followed up with some clarifying questions. \”Do you really want to work a job with a real danger of being injured or killed? Or permanently disabled?\” \”Do you want to work weekends and nights and miss being with your friends and family?\” \”Do you want to be sued?\” \”Do you want to be called every name in the book, to your face and behind your back?\” \”Do you want to be generally unrecognized for the countless calls you handle well and minutely criticized for the very few that go wrong?\” \”Do you want your trust in people and faith in humanity to become jaded?\” \”Are you willing to use deadly force if necessary?\” \”Do you accept the possibility of the psychological trauma and public scrutiny of using deadly force?\” \”Do you want to be personally attacked in the media by people who don\’t know you or have a full understanding of complicated intricacies of your job?\”
None of us walked out of the class, so I guess we all accepted the challenge.
Portland has high expectations for its police officers, as it should. Public feedback is an important part of that. Hopefully we can also be constructive in our criticism. And remember that all of us, including our police officers, are human, simply doing our best to make it through our Portland lives.
Get well Officer Brian Hunzeke!
When I first read about his crash…I though it was that worst intersection of Sandy at Burnside…an intersection no driver, walker, or bicyclist likes to cross.
Perhaps it is time to redesign our older state / regional multilane arterials…to simplify the intersection design…from multilanes with traffic signals to single lane roundabouts? (I know Sandy just had a lot of reworking last year…but it seems more like minimal \’window dressing\’ on a bigger design problem…lack of access management/ high speeds/ long distances to cross on foot…especially for these oblique crossings.) Kinda of a Safe and Secure Streets programme for drivers too.
Actually, Todd, the eastbound Burnside intersection with Sandy is a very manageable intersection by bike (in fact, it\’s the safest way to cross Sandy east bound and south, maybe the only safe way).
Bummer about Jarmer, I think. Turnover really does make it hard to establish relationships and, perhaps more importantly, to demonstrate success after trying a change in tactics.
This is good news. I hope the new traffic division chief takes a more community approach with all vulnerable users. Time will tell.
It actually isn\’t a promotion for Kruger…nobody else wants the pile of paperwork and long, dark hours in the drug and vice division. He\’s got to be on call 24/7 too! Have fun in your new desk Krug.
while I\’m glad to see Kruger getting out of the traffic division, I\’m wondering how Jarmer will handle his position in the Transit Police. I don\’t know too much about the guy, but it will be interesting looking into his history with the force.
Jonathan:
With the start of new leadership in the Trafic Division, this gives us the opportunity to develop better relations with the police. There is no objective reason to believe that the two new officers will be any better than their replacements, but they will be and can expect to grow into their jobs.
So, maybe now is the perfect time to start some kind of citizens traffic safety council, or something similar, where community reps can discuss traffic strategies and tactics with the police, so they won\’t feel like they can make it up on the fly. Drivers, truckers, bikers, pedestrians, and children\’s advocates should all be included in this group (oh, and working bike messengers, too).
The meetings can cover current crash data, problem intersections, and proposed enforcement actions, to give some more structure to the mission at the division, lest it fall into the \”squeaky wheel gets the grease\” syndrome, where they spend a big chunk of their resources doing stings in Ladd because of a crotchety old man who complains. Instead, these complaints are reviewed by the council, who collectively decide if it\’s really a priority, based upon actual data.
Now that you\’re back from a well-deserved vacation, Jonathan, can you think of any way we can get such a mechanism started? I offer whatever help I can on this, subject to my work schedule.
Thanks, PoPo.
Hey PoPo, if you really think being a cop in Portland is harder than riding a bike here, let\’s compare the number of PPB officers killed on the job in 2007 with the number of cyclists killed on Portland\’s roads.
PoPo… Just like in all professions, you get what you give. The easiest philosophy to live by is that nobody can demand respect, they must earn it. I don\’t know how the other cops feel about Kruger, but it seems he can make it harder on those around him by being the way he is (so I\’ve heard and read), in certain situations that could have / should have been handled differently. Just an opinion.
a.O
Are you a cop? Since PoPo is a cop AND rides a bike, hopefully most reasonable people would be willing to afford him the benefit of the doubt as to the validity of his comments on the relative difficulty of each, at least to the extent he has participated in each. I am asking whether you are a cop to decide whether to afford you the same benefit, while attempting to ignore your argumentative tone, since your point re: the deaths of cyclists is valid and far from trivial. I\’m going to guess you\’re not a cop (neither am I) but feel free to correct.
I am not a cop. I am sure it is a difficult job, as is mine. The objective evidence clearly demonstrates that working for the PPB in 2007 was not as dangerous as riding a bike on the streets of Portland. Or am I missing some PPB deaths?
By the way, tooling around on the Hawthorne sidewalk at walking speed hardly counts as \”riding a bike,\” at least as far as risk to health and safety goes. I\’m sure PoPo can tell us if there is more to his bike riding than that — but why aren\’t you posing that question to him?
Sorry you don\’t like my tone.
PoPo raises good points about the extraordinary contribution and personal sacrifice that some people as police officers are capable of making towards helping to make life in our society as good as possible for everyone.
At least for myself, I also think it\’s helpful to keep in mind that the idiosyncrasies of the law enforcement profession have an uncanny knack for bringing out the worst of human tendencies in some individuals staffing law enforcement. Personal problems lurking under the surface, denied or deftly camouflaged, periodically find their way to the surface in reactions to the public that are the opposite of what the bureau\’s mission to the public claims to be. Does that not perhaps help to explain some of Officer Kruger\’s notorious moments in Traffic Division?
From the Mercury – \”In one chilling encounter in April 2003, Kruger roughed up a young female protester near Pioneer Square. At the time, the woman was being arrested for the minor crime of jaywalking. From seemingly nowhere, Kruger emerged, grabbed the woman, and cranked her arm harshly behind her back. Although she cried out, \”you\’re hurting me,\” Kruger continued to twist her arm and then, to silence her, grabbed her face in his hand, completely palming it. About 100 marchers and downtown shoppers watched in stunned silence.
During a Mercury reader survey in March, Kruger was overwhelmingly nominated as Portland\’s \”Most Rotten Cop.\” Beyond humanitarian issues, Kruger has opened the city up to more than $1 million in liability lawsuits.\”
PoPo – I appreciate the police force, and I understand that, like in any other profession, a few rotten eggs can spoil the whole salad. I understand that being a police officer is VERY difficult work, and that most police officers do an admirable job, and I have had a number of positive encounters with the Portland police. However, Kruger is the poster boy for the increasing militarization of American policing. Violently assaulting a citizen without due cause HAS to be grounds for dismissal. To repeat, violently assaulting a citizen without due cause HAS to be grounds for dismissal. Imagine the opportunities for Kruger to expand upon this history when he is in the drug and vice squad, where the general public will gladly turn its collective head if a report of needless violence emerges from a drug sting. Calling an officer on dangerous behavior does not necessarily condemn the entire force, but criticizing the entire force for protecting a dangerous officer does.
a.O. If you want to pick nits, re-read PoPo\’s post. He didn\’t state that being a cop is more dangerous; he said it was \”harder\”. I for one appreciate his statement and hopefully some of us on this board will see the humanity in police officers rather than taking a wholesale stance against them in general due to the actions of a few individuals.
I\’m happy to see Kruger go but as in any situation in life, recognize that he could be replaced with a worse entity. I hope his replacement shows better judgement than he did.
I don\’t have the numbers, but sense that there are more bike riders than cops in PDX. If \”more difficult\” is measured in deaths–I\’m not sure it is that simple, as many riders are hit and not killed, while I\’m guessing the many cops are also injured but not killed, not to mention that considerations other than physical ones contribute to the \”difficulty\”, or lack thereof, of an activity–then it is probably more useful to compare the relative death rates rather than absolute numbers. (This too is tough, due to the nature of the data… many years with zero deaths for the police, with spikes seen in any given year.) Agree that tooling around in a park on the bike is not the same as riding busy roads without bike lanes, in terms of danger.
Sean, if you want to pick nits, you can\’t possibly believe that PoPo intended to literally compare the act of pedaling and steering a bicycle with all of the tasks involved in being a police officer. So what was he saying?
If you re-read the post, you will see the first words he uses in describing specific reasons why his job is difficult are \”injured,\” \”killed,\” and \”permanently disabled.\”
Those are real possibilities for cops. Those were actual facts of life for Portland cyclists in 2007.
I\’m not going to recount all the people who were hurt or lost their lives, or who nearly did, as a result of legally riding their bike last year.
I invite you to go read Jonathan\’s year in review post, paying particular attention to the fatalities and injuries suffered by cyclists in Portland. Also check out the \”near miss\” sections.
a.O. is merely a self-styled activist with an ax to grind and much time on his hands. (I hope that you don\’t bill clients for all of the net surfing and blog posting that you do.)
By the way, he is never wrong and knows far more than you ever will. He is compelled to answer and argue nearly every topic on BikePortland and must have the last word-always. It\’s nothing more than an ego fueled form of Tourette\’s syndrome and he simply cannot help himself. He wants to be Dabby but doesn\’t have the street smarts and hard won perspective of The Messenger King.
a.O. retort coming in 3…2…
______
***Chuck D., please try and keep your comments focused on the issues and not on individual commenters. Thank you.—-The Editor
Jonathon said-
\’It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.\’
Clear eh?
Is this another example of how you refuse to offer commentary about Kruger? Remember how you told us you could not take sides on this and could only report facts? Nice journalistic integrity there.
Did Kruger remember to send ya a christmas present this year?
a little sad fact of life…
promotions are a useful tool to rid one\’s work department of an individual who is no compatible within the department…happens a lot in government funded positions…
its basically writen off as a \”mismatch\” to the departmental managers…a way of washing their hands with the problem…
firings bring union grievances or lawsuits…promotions just make the problem disappear.
a little sad fact of life…
promotions are a useful tool to rid one\’s work department of an individual who is no compatible within the department…happens a lot in government funded positions…
its basically writen off as a \”mismatch\” to the departmental managers…a way of washing their hands with the problem…
firings bring union grievances or lawsuits…promotions just make the problem disappear.
The all-powerful drug dealers and sex workers lobby will soon putting intense pressure on the next Mayor to fire Kruger…
I have to agree with a few of the posters Jonathan. The following quote is either extreme snark or extremely ill-considered.
\”It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.\”
Perhaps you should have written;
\”It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, the Portland Police Bureau considers him to be a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.\”
I can\’t believe that YOU think \”it\’s clear\” that he\’s a capable officer.
PoPo,
I\’m sure being a cop is tough, and we don\’t understand a lot of what you go through. But I can\’t help but think that cops get to the point where they forget what it\’s like to be a simple citizen. We don\’t get you and you don\’t get us.
Our opinion of cops doesn\’t materialize out of thin air. Our opinion is colored by our own individual interactions with the numerous meathead cops who are out there and obviously need to find a more suitable job.
I\’m a pretty boring, 40 year old bike riding property owner white guy, and I\’VE had it with cops flying through neighborhoods, no lights, no sirens, hardly ever yielding to peds, incapable of interacting with us as people, using the threat of arrest as their FIRST means of interaction. Those are all first-person observations. I get a finger pointed in my face and lectured when I get hit by a driver who runs a red light?? Screw it.
There is a well of community respect for cops. Cops can either make deposits into that well, so that when they need it it\’s there, or they can constantly strip mine it for every last ounce of anything resembling respect, and then complain when we don\’t acquiesce like peasants.
PoPo I do think you are a good cop. I\’ve read your articles and I appreciate what you do, even if you do think riding on the sidewalk gives you street cred.
But as a good cop, you should know that coming on here to defend the likes of Kruger and the bureau that coddles him, is counterproductive to improving our view of the PPB.
tonyt (and others) said:
\”I have to agree with a few of the posters Jonathan. The following quote is either extreme snark or extremely ill-considered.
\”It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.\”
You guys are right. I should have made that sentence more clear but I did this story at the end of a very long day and I was a bit scattered.
What I was trying to communicate is that both within the bureau and within certain circles at PDOT and elsewhere, it is thought that Kruger\’s record and police skills are very solid.
I like your re-write suggestion tonyt and I will take a second look at that line right now.
Everyone… please understand that Kruger and this enforcement issue is a very challenging situation for me to cover for many reasons. I am doing my best and I am actually very excited about the improvements I see down the road and the impact that I think you have all made to the dialogue thus far.
Now…I\’m going to do a bit of editing.
Thanks for all the feedback.
I don\’t think PoPo was defending specific people, but police in general and as he stated
\”All officers are human, thus none are perfect. And there are definitely none who can make everyone happy.\”
The generalizations made on this board about police are accepted, yet if generalizations about cyclists are made you are called to task repeatedly.
I think PoPo was calling out a number of people on this board who never have anything nice to about police, and that cyclists can do no wrong.
Being a cop is a tough job, and it is tougher than being a cyclist, even if the statistics on deaths don\’t point in that direction.
As a cyclist list the number of times you interact with another person in a day and have to worry about them pulling a gun on you or assaulting you just for doing you job. That happens every time a police office responds to a call or pulls over a car. Why, because of the type of animosity directed towards police that is shown on this board.
How many times a day on your bike do you have to make a decision that impacts the quality of life in this city. Every time a police officer goes on the street they do just that, trying to determine how best to make the city safe.
Overall they do a damn fine job out there, but they aren\’t perfect, even PoPo admits that they aren\’t perfect.
It is a case of walk a mile in my shoes. I\’ll bet that a lot more cops have ridden their bikes on Portland streets, than cyclists have patrolled the streets.
And proportionally I\’d say there are more bad cyclist than there are bad cops, the difference is that they have to stand up to much more public scrutiny than any red light runner on a fixie, flipping the bird at pedestrians. (and that\’s a first hand experience as well)
Thanks Jonathan. You too, do not have an easy job.
steve said:
\”Is this another example of how you refuse to offer commentary about Kruger? Remember how you told us you could not take sides on this and could only report facts? Nice journalistic integrity there.\”
Hi again steve. I\’m not surprised to hear from you on this thread. I regret that you are still not satisfied with my coverage (or lack of) about Kruger. I have thought a lot about your previous comments and about how I\’ve handled him in the past.
One thing that\’s important to realize is that all of this has much more to do that me (or us) versus Kruger. I have to consider the larger picture of balancing my misgivings about a single officer with the broader context of building an ongoing, positive relationship with the Police Bureau.
I do not always make the right decisions, but I feel that for the most part, things are headed in the right direction.
Yesterday, I got a call from the Asst. Chief of Police. We spoke candidly and she was very forthcoming with information about this potentially sensitive story. Think about that for a minute: The Asst. Chief of Police called back a \”blogger\” who has hosted many less-than glowing comments about her officers and who has written stories highlighting alleged bias in the Bureau. But even with all that, I sensed a willingness from Berg to build bridges between the bureau, myself, and the community in the future and I think that is a very good step.
I realize you and perhaps many others are not happy that I did not probe into Kruger\’s past or try and get him fired, or at least disciplined in some way.
I hope to soon report on very positive developments within the Bureau and I would rather keep working in partnership with them for a better future, instead of taking risks that might burn bridges and close doors. Yes, it is a gamble. But I will try to remain both a skeptical watchdog and an ally of theirs at the same time.
Thanks for your feedback and I welcome your continued feedback on how I\’m doing.
\” I would rather keep working in partnership with them for a better future, instead of taking risks that might burn bridges and close doors. Yes, it is a gamble. But will try to remain both a skeptical watchdog and an ally of theirs at the same time. \”
That is a very clearheaded and rational way to behave.
Jonathon-
All I can say is bullsh!t!
No one is critiquing your lack of coverage on Krugers past. The lack of which is already a glaring example of your bias. The stories of Krugers antics are well documented. This is legitimate news that you refuse to post, not commentary.
Instead of any sort of fact, this article was filled with opinion and direct regurgitation of PPD propaganda. Honestly, you should be ashamed both as a citizen and doubly so as a journalist.
You weasel out of any sort of actual reporting by saying you only want to give facts not opinion. Let us make up our own minds. Well then, what the hell is the post?
These are your words Jonathon-
\”It’s clear that, in spite of his past and sometimes rough communication skills, he is a very capable officer who is deserving of a promotion.\”
This is not an oversight, this is your honest opinion. The entire article had this tone.
Own your words man! What is this \’edit\’ crap? You would not pass a high school journalism course with this nonsense. Though I suppose that is why you are a blogger..
Why must we wade through spin here?
Being a cop is a tough job, and it is tougher than being a cyclist, even if the statistics on deaths don\’t point in that direction.
You can choose to simply ignore the evidence if you want to, but that doesn\’t make it true. What better indication of how difficult or dangerous something is could there possibly be than how many people have died doing it?
As a cyclist list the number of times you interact with another person in a day and have to worry about them pulling a gun on you or assaulting you just for doing you job.
Every time I ride in traffic people weilding deadly weapons that kill 40,000 people a year — that\’s more than firearms, in case you become interested in evaluting the objective evidence — come within inches of me and could easily kill me. Many times, when I\’m obeying the law, they assult me with their vehicles, or attempt to.
So: Every single day, just like being a cop.
How many times a day on your bike do you have to make a decision that impacts the quality of life in this city.
Every day I decide to ride a bike, I make a decision that impacts the quality of life in this City — at great personal risk to myself, and without any pay, flack jacket, sidearm, back-up, or immunity from prosecution.