The internal affairs investigation into Eugene police officers’ arrests of University students Ian Van Ornum, Anthony Farley and Greenleaf resident Day Owen at an anti-pesticide rally last year has encountered a glitch.
Following Van Ornum’s conviction last month of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest at the May 2008 rally where he was tasered, a probe into the police force used to arrest the three men ensues. However, a private investigator hired by the police auditor to evaluate officers’ actions on the day of the arrests quit the investigation Friday, although the City of Eugene did not send out a press release until yesterday.
The city’s adoption of a new oversight ordinance allowed the Office of the Police Auditor to contract an independent investigator for the first time in what has been ruled a community impact case.
In a statement, interim police auditor Dawn Reynolds said, “The (investigator) cited a number of reasons, including constraints on interviews with police officers and other issues she perceived to be obstacles to conducting an independent investigation on behalf of the Office of the Police Auditor.”
Private investigator Joyce Naffzinger, who resigned from the internal affairs probe Friday, could not be reached for comment.
Sergeant Scott McKee of the Eugene Police Department’s investigations division also could not be reached for comment.
In the city’s statement, Reynolds said she will not hire another independent party for the internal affairs probe.
“Given the issues raised by the contractor, we will not seek to hire another outside investigator for this case,” she said. “It is important to remember that independent oversight is new to the City of Eugene. Each experience helps us to identify areas that need to be clarified or improved to strengthen the oversight system.”
The City of Eugene’s in-house attorney Glenn Klein declined comment and referred questions to Reynolds.
Reynolds was working from home Wednesday, and the auditor’s office said it would forward her a message from the Emerald seeking comment. Reynolds did not return the Emerald’s message.
Farley, the junior and human physiology major who pleaded guilty to the charge of attempt to assault a police officer in December, hopes the internal affairs investigation will lead to a revision of the department’s Taser policy. He said he’s “pretty opinionated on what needs to be reformed,” and wishes the police were trained in martial arts as a more humane form of gaining control.
Farley wants “justice for Ian” and would like to see the outcome of the investigation lead to monetary gain for Van Ornum, he added.
While monetary reward from a civil suit against the police department would be exciting for Van Ornum and the community, Farley said, it might not lead to lasting change in the relationship between the police and social activists.
“Money is great, but it doesn’t solve problems,” he said.
The tasing of Van Ornum is just one example of an over-eager police force, he said.
“They overstep the bounds quite often,” he said, adding that there needs to be space in the community for activism free from police intervention.
Rumors of tension between the police union and the auditor’s office have surfaced among multiple sources.
Local media have reported complaints from the union regarding the auditor’s office and the new oversight program during the past months, including a complaint filed by Reynolds’ deputy Elizabeth Southworth, which led the city to place Reynolds on paid administrative leave in March.
The union, Eugene Police Employees Association, recently awarded Officer Judd Warden, who tased Van Ornum twice during the student’s arrest, its Officer of the Year award.
Farley met Van Ornum through the UO Survival Center last year and attended the rally as a supporter of the anti-pesticide cause, he said. The two have become friends since meeting during Van Ornum’s freshman year and are still in contact.
“Last I heard, he’s definitely going to do the civil suit,” he said. “I would love to see that.”
But Farley wonders if Van Ornum’s efforts will be thwarted.
“You never know, the courts can be tricky,” he said.
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