By Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
Portland, Ore. Officer Scott McCollister is expected today to challenge a proposed suspension for his actions in the fatal shooting of Kendra James in May.
The hearing is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. before Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker, who proposed the suspension in June.
McCollister, accompanied by Portland Police Association representatives and a union attorney, will have the opportunity to call witnesses to testify on his behalf. Aside from the police chief, members of the Portland Police Bureau personnel division and McCollister’s precinct commander, Bret Smith, may be present, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, a police spokesman.
Kroeker recommended a “lengthy” suspension after highlighting problems with McCollister’s tactics before the shooting. Bureau members say a “lengthy” suspension probably would be at least several months.
McCollister, 27, shot and killed James, 21, early May 5 as she tried to drive away from a traffic stop on North Skidmore Street. There was a warrant out for her arrest for failure to appear in court on an attempted drug possession charge.
A Multnomah County grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing by McCollister after he testified that 80 percent of his body was inside the car when it moved forward.
But police detectives questioned some of McCollister’s actions, including his decision to enter the car. They also questioned why he was unable to use his pepper spray and why he dined or talked on the phone with two other officers who were witnesses to the shooting before his formal interview with detectives.
Robert King, the president of the Portland Police Association, has been heavily involved in preparing for McCollister’s hearing. In the August issue of the union’s monthly paper, The Rap Sheet, King left his front page column blank, with a one-sentence note that read, “Due to the preparation for Scott McCollister’s Mitigation Hearing, the President’s Report will return in the September edition.”
The chief could hear McCollister’s side and make a decision on McCollister’s discipline right away, or direct bureau investigators to go back and obtain more information or take time to review additional material before making his decision, Schmautz said. Kroeker said last week that he expects to make a final decision on McCollister’s discipline by the end of this week.