What is Portland deciding about add Code to establish the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (add Code Chapter 3.23)?

The City of Portland ordains. Section 1. The Council finds: In 2014, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon ("Court") entered the Order Entering Settlement Agreement between the City and the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") in the matter of The United States of America v. The City of Portland, Case No. 12-cv-02265-SI ("Settlement Agreement").In 2018, the Settlement Agreement was amended to create the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP).After PCCEP was created, the City Council adopted the PCCEP Plan on September 5, 2018, by Council Resolution 37384, and the Settlement Agreement was amended to include the PCCEP Plan as Exhibit 1.The City values PCCEP's unique and vital role over more than seven years in engaging Portland's varied and diverse communities and the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to further the shared goal of equitable policing that exceeds constitutional standards and to foster meaningful community engagement with, and trust in, PPB.Due to the City's sustained substantial compliance with the Settlement Agreement provisions requiring PCCEP's formation and governing its operations, the discrete subsection of the Agreement addressing those requirements was subject to termination. The City and DOJ, on March 3, 2026, filed a joint stipulated motion with the Court to terminate the PCCEP compliance provisions. The Court granted the motion to terminate this discrete section on March 13, 2026.PCCEP retains a role under the Settlement Agreement, including reporting directly to the Court at status conferences.The City will benefit from establishing PCCEP in City Code as this will ensure that the duties of PCCEP extend beyond the partial termination of the PCCEP provisions within the Settlement Agreement.Proposed Code Chapter 3.23, attached as Exhibit A, codifies PCCEP.PCCEP has long urged the Mayor and Council to codify PCCEP. The Proposed Chapter 3.23 is based on the Committee's 2024 codification recommendation, reflects Portland's new form of government, and incorporates further requirements from terminated Settlement Agreement provisions, while preserving PCCEP's autonomy in developing, recommending and executing its workplan.NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs: Add Code Chapter 3.23 as shown in Exhibit A.Section 2. The Council declares an emergency exists to continue the valuable contributions of the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing, unclouded by uncertainty about PCCEP's status given the Court's termination of the PCCEP discrete section of the Settlement Agreement; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.