Portland Police Bureau search for new ‘Bicycle Liaison Officer’

“Develop and maintain an expertise in human powered transportation regarding its use and future development.”
— From the PPB job listing

The Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division is looking to hire a “Bicycle Liaison Officer.”

The job listing (posted in its entirety below) calls for an officer to be the “point of communication to the various bicycle advocacy groups” and to be the Bureau’s go-to expert on “matters of bicycle and other forms of human powered transportation.”

This is a more formal search for the position left vacant after Officer Robert Pickett left the force to take a job with the U.S. State Department back in May. Pickett was named as an official bridge between the police and the community back in 2008 by former Police Chief Rosie Sizer. Sizer made the move to help quell concerns from the community about insensitivity by Traffic Division officers in the handling of two fatal crashes in October 2007. (The fallout from that also led to a Community Policing Agreement that was formally adopted by City Council two years later.)

Traffic Division Lieutenant Eric Schober says the Bicycle Liaison Officer position is what they call a “detached assignment.” This means it’s not a full-time position, but a “side duty” that an existing PPB officer would assume in addition to their already assigned duties.

Learn more about what the PPB is looking for in the job description below:

POSITION:
PPB Bicycle Liaison Officer – Traffic Division (Detached)
Shift: Flexible in order to attend various meetings.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Bicycle Liaison Officer will be the Police Bureau’s point of communication to the various bicycle advocacy groups and one of the Bureau’s experts on matters of bicycle and other forms of human powered transportation. The position will be assigned to the Traffic as an additional point of communication to the bicycle community.

Duties:

  • Attend various community group meetings, both day and evening, centered around bicycle and other alternate human powered transportation
  • Advocate and educate community members/groups on legal issues surrounding human powered transportation.
  • Maintain a proficiency in current activities of bicycle community.
  • Be a point of communication from the bicycle community to the Police Bureau.
  • Develop and maintain an expertise in human powered transportation regarding its use and future development.
  • Act as an advisory for planning and coordination of any special events surrounding alternate modes of transportation but namely bicycles.
  • Be an advisory point for Police Bureau decisions and planning surrounding human powered transportation.
  • Network with other cities and police agencies on bicycle and human powered transportation issues.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • A minimum of three (3) years proven ability to work with a wide variety of groups and organizations both governmental and private sector.
  • Possess strong communication skills; both oral and written.
  • Ability to forge cooperation and consensus among community and advocacy groups.
  • Willingness to adjust work hours & days off to conform to assorted scheduling tasks.
  • Proven ability to take the initiative.
  • Ability to become “Bicycle Certified”.
  • Be committed to the concepts and principles of the community policing goals and strategies.
  • Possess a strong interest in bicycles and other forms of human powered transportation.
  • Must be proven self-motivated with the demonstrative ability to perform under minimal supervision.
  • No evidence of sick time abuse.
  • No disciplinary history that could be detrimental to effectively function in this position.

We’ll introduce you to the officer once the selection is made.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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rider
rider
12 years ago

Why aren’t you applying Jonathan?

Spiffy
Spiffy
12 years ago

weird that one of the qualifications isn’t that you have to be a police officer or have completed police training…

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
Reply to  Spiffy

Spiffy,

that’s not weird… that’s because it’s an inter-agency hire. Only existing officers are eligible.

cycler
12 years ago

Have to say I had the same reaction as Spiffy- from the text of the article, it wasn’t clear to me that it was an interagency hire only.

BURR
BURR
12 years ago

that would be intra, not inter

🙂

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
12 years ago

You’d think all of the legal experts on this site would be applying to be a policeman, just so they can enforce the laws evenly.

laura
laura
12 years ago

Officer Cage Byrd!!!

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
12 years ago

Duties:
Advocate and educate community members/groups and fellow officerson legal issues surrounding human powered transportation.

There PPB; I fixed it for you.

Lounge Master John
12 years ago

Would it be considered ‘conflict of interest’ if the owner of the Pedalounge applied for the position?