Bill to shield identity of Finicum shooter introduced

State Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha, has sponsored a bill that would allow a judge to protect the identity of a police officer involved in a deadly shooting for up to 90 days if the officer’s life was deemed to be in danger.

Barker told NewsChannel 21 it comes after Oregon State Police Superintendent Richard Evans said the officer who shot and killed LaVoy Finicum received a credible death threat.

Evans said a group demanded to learn the name of the officer and threatened to kill him.

Finicum acted as the spokesperson for the armed group that occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days.

Barker said House Bill 4087 was crafted with input from the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This bill is very narrow and designed to protect somebody when there’s a real threat and not anything else,” Barker said.

He said the police department would have to go before a circuit court judge and make the case that there was a viable threat.

The bill has to pass both the House and Senate. If it fails, OSP would have to release the name of the shooter of Finicum, Barker said.

Kimberly McCullough, legislative directer with the ACLU, said the organization has worked closely on this bill to make the bill more focused.

“We were very concerned the bill would give the police department the ability to ban an officer’s name completely,” McCullough said.

According to McCullough, OSP initially asked for the name to be kept a secret for an unlimited time.

“The public has a big interest and a right to know the shooter’s identity,” McCullough said.

She said the ACLU does not support the bill but will not actively oppose it.

On Wednesday House Bill 4087 will be voted on in the House, and then is expected to go to the Senate next week.

Barker said he hopes it will pass, otherwise OSP would have to release the officer’s name immediately.

According to sources, the bill could get modified in the Senate and get a sunset provision, meaning it would only be active for a year.

Meanwhile, the FBI said the collection of evidence at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters will take about three weeks. The government’s response to the defendants’ motions for site access says federal agents found firearms and explosives on site.

The document also claims agents found “significant amounts of human feces in and around an outdoor camping area,” close to grounds containing sensitive artifacts of the Burns Paiute tribe.

The government said agents are also concerned that vehicles and buildings may be booby-trapped.