Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated. We included an email sent to us by the Oregon State Police after the editorial was published. The email is at the end. 

An Oregon state police sergeant routinely used anti-Black racial slurs. He was disciplined and demoted.

The Oregon State Police did not disclose what he did or hid it.

Trooper Jeffrey Allison’s supervisors and state attorneys made efforts to keep it hidden from the district attorney. A U.S. Supreme Court decision requires such disclosures to make prosecutors aware of possible bias on the witness stand.

His supervisors didn’t report it to the Oregon agency that certifies police officers, which may have revoked his certification for his behavior.

The training instructor for ethics for the state police even resigned because of the way the issue was handled.

In fact, the reason this came to light was because another trooper who was in trouble for use of force and brought up Allison’s use of language. He retired in 2018.

We know all this thanks to the reporting of The Oregonian. You can read the comprehensive reporting about it here: tinyurl.com/OSPdiscipline. Worth it.

Allison did apologize, saying he was using “locker room” banter to try to “bind the Central Point Patrol Office together as a team, promoting personal interaction and fellowship.”

Racist language for fellowship? That is a wretched argument.

A spokesman for the state police would not comment on the reasons for personnel actions by previous administrations but did say the use of slurs was unacceptable and would not be tolerated.

So all good now?

No, not at all.

This is an email we received from the Oregon State Police: 

Below are the responses provided to the Oregonian.  As a point of clarification- Allison was not a captain, he was a sergeant who was demoted and is now retired.

The Oregon State Police is committed to delivering high-quality public safety services that enhance the safety and livability of Oregon. Within the organization, agency leadership is focused on creating a culture of excellence and accountability and has taken active steps to reinforce this goal, including the support and development of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team.  The mission of the DEI Unit is, “To strengthen the ongoing practice of fostering diversity, equity and inclusion awareness through guidance, education, and collaboration.” 

 

In February, Superintendent Codding sent a letter to all agency staff challenging us to, “… explore how we can raise standards and expectations to be intentional in our efforts to promote a diverse, fair, and inclusive work culture. A culture where everyone can come to OSP and contribute their best work.” 

 

The use of a vile and offensive racial slur is unacceptable and does not enhance the safety and livability of Oregon or foster a diverse, fair, and inclusive workplace and it will not be tolerated.

 

Your questions relate to personnel actions and civil litigation that you’ve reported on previously and involve mostly retired or separated employees and events from several years ago. Allegations made by a former employee were investigated by an outside entity at the behest of OSP and DOJ. The current administration has reviewed an executive summary of the investigation which indicated appropriate actions were taken. At this time OSP cannot provide further comment on rationale for personnel actions taken by previous administrations, or the circumstances present at that time.

 

We are steadfast in our commitment to creating a culture of excellence and accountability and underscore that the Oregon State Police has no tolerance for hate or bias.  The use of hateful or discriminatory speech warrants dismissal and demands notification to the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training for review. Since the events you are evidently reporting on, there have been enhancements in the law relating to reporting to DPSST and police accountability, and OSP has embraced those changes from our legislature.

 

Superintendent Codding’s February letter said it best, “This agency is made up of amazing people doing great work. There are many more great people who historically haven’t seen themselves working at OSP that we must welcome. I’m confident that raising our individual standards and centering our efforts around building and maintaining that welcoming high performance culture will reinforce our reputation as a premier law enforcement agency.”

 

Separate response:

 

OSP follows the yearly ethics training requirements as provided by DPSST and DAS. We use a variety of instructors to teach the preapproved curriculum and since his resignation have had many instructors.

 

In April of 2022, after obtaining success funding, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit was launched.  Through this program OSP is educating its membership in areas of cultural responsiveness, biases, and intercultural communication. Our program exceeds the minimum requirements and per our DEI manager is “promoting voluntary engagement and participation within the organization exceeding my expectations”.

 

 

Let me know if you have any further interest and I will be happy to work through that with you.

Respectfully,

Kyle Kennedy, captain government and media relations, Oregon State Police.