Portland mayor proposes break for police oversight committee

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A Portland citizen committee in charge of police oversight is taking a 60-day break following a recommendation from Mayor Ted Wheeler.

Wheeler announced the proposal Wednesday night during the online meeting for the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing. He said the hiatus will be used to fill staffing vacancies and vacancies on the committee, in addition to receiving feedback from board members.

A number of board members supported the decision, citing structural changes within the committee that created problems. However, not all members aren't thrilled with the decision.

"They're not giving us the support we need to continue engaging the community. We know violence still occurs, constitutional policing still an issue, there's a lot of things that have happening that we need to continue to address," said board member Zeenab Fowlk.

The committee and its predecessor were both put in place as part of a settlement agreement between the city and the Department of Justice after the DOJ found police used excessive force against people with mental illness.