Oregon Senate passes ‘Kaylee’s Law’ on 29-0 vote

(Update: Adding Sawyer case background; statement from Knopp)

The Sawyer family lost Kaylee when she was killed by a Central Oregon Community College security guard – a man whose job it was to protect her – in the summer of 2016.

Since that time, the Sawyer family has been on a journey to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s daughter.

That trek took another step forward Tuesday, when the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 576 – requested by the Sawyer family and known as “Kaylee’s Law” – on a 29-0 vote. The bill, which puts new limits on the powers and operations of campus security, was co-carried by Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) and Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend).

“The Sawyer family lived through a parent’s worst nightmare when their daughter Kaylee was killed in the summer of 2016,” Knopp said. “If we can do something to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, then we should do it.”

Edwin Lara, a campus safety officer at COCC, pleaded guilty early last year to aggravated murder, avoiding a possible death sentence by agreeing to a life sentence without parole.

Lara admitted abducting the 23-year-old Sawyer as she was walking home, and holding her the back of his security vehicle, where he strangled her, then killed her with a large rock and dumped her body in a canyon west of Redmond.

He later carjacked a Salem woman and fled south to California, where he shot a man at a Yreka motel, carjacked a car with a man’s family inside and led police on a high-speed chase before his arrest.

The legislation would clarify the policing limits of college security officers, require uniforms and vehicles look less like those of traditional law enforcement officers and that all campus security vehicles be equipped with GPS and video recording devices.

The bill also calls for nationwide background checks on all private security or special campus safety officers and removes stop and frisk authority.

Cars operating by campus security officers also must not possess ramming bumpers, red and blue light bars, internal cages or other features of standard police vehicles.

“Part of keeping the public safe is that people know when they are dealing with an actual law enforcement officer,” Prozanski said. “If somebody didn’t go through vigorous training and vetting, they should never be allowed to wear the uniform of a law enforcement officer or operate motor vehicles that closely resemble law enforcement vehicles.”

Several officials and groups – including Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Sawyer family – have worked to draft the bill.

“We entrust our campus security officers with the safety of our precious college-age children,” Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said. “Their job is crucially important, and requires the highest levels of trust, integrity and skill.

“Campus security officers are not, however, police officers, and should not wear or use the indicia of that office – uniforms, vehicles or other equipment associated with being a police officer.

“It is my sincere regret that it took the tragic death of Kaylee Sawyer to compel us to address this issue, and while nothing we do can restore the life of this smart, promising young woman, we can still do right in her name,” the attorney general added.

Senate Bill 576 now goes to the House for consideration.

Students from Portland State University pushed a similar bill that would prohibit campus police from carrying a gun, responding to a deadly shootout near campus last year. That measure isn’t expected to move forward this session.

—

News release from Sen. Tim Knopp:

Kaylee’s Law, Senate Bill 576, Unanimously Passes Out of the Senate

SALEM, OR. – Today, Senator Tim Knopp, R-Bend, carried a bill on the Senate Floor that he co-sponsored with Senator Floyd Prozanski. The bill enacts major campus security reform, to better distinguish the difference between college campus police forces and college campus security forces.

“Kaylee was the sort of person who made everyone feel better when she was around. Her smile and laugh were infectious. She was fiercely devoted to family. The future was wide open for her,” said Knopp. “While nothing we do today can bring Kaylee Sawyer back, I hope we can honor her memory together with the passage of this bill dedicated to her name.”

The bill’s name refers to Kaylee Sawyer, a Bend woman who was abducted and murdered by a campus security guard. Using a vehicle with an enclosed rear cage, Kaylee was unable to escape. The bill would change the equipment that non-police campus security forces have access to, in addition to more rigorous background checks for hiring personnel.

The Sawyer family were able to join Senator Knopp on the Senate floor for the passage of this bill. They have heroically advocated and participated in the passage of this bill, testifying alongside Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Deschutes District Attorney John Hummel, and Bend Police Chief Jim Porter.

“This bill has had many people work on it, but more important than anyone claiming credit is the result. The passage of this bill will improve safety for our students,” said Knopp.