Oregon among states putting names of ousted police online

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in police custody, the state of Oregon has released the names of over 1,700 officers whose transgressions over the past 50 years were so serious that they were banned from working in law enforcement in the state.

The online posting last week came after the state Legislature created a law requiring the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to establish a statewide public database of officers whose certification has been revoked or suspended.

“Those who are revoked have tarnished the badge and no longer have the trust of their community, their agency, or our agency as the certifying body,” department director Eriks Gabliks told The Associated Press.

The website includes a spreadsheet with the names of decertified officers going back to 1971. In at least one instance, a police officer who was decertified in Oregon obtained employment in law enforcement in another state, a situation that some say points to the need for a comprehensive, nationwide database.

Former Coquille, Oregon, police officer Sean Sullivan was convicted of harassment in 2005 for kissing a 10-year-old girl. A year later, he became chief of police of the tiny town of Cedar Vale, Kansas. He quit that job while being investigated there.

In the absence of an official nationwide database, a non-profit maintains a website intended to be a national registry of certificate or license revocations. The National Decertification Index provides access to records from agencies in 44 states and was created by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/1cff72775f271bcc472708f8bd980a86