Last week, the Portland City Council made history by appointing 21 community members and six alternates to the newly formed Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA), fulfilling the mandate of voters who overwhelmingly supported Measure 26‑217 in November 2020. Designed as a governing board with real authority over police oversight, the CBPA will investigate misconduct, impose discipline, and recommend reforms—placing community voices at the center of Portland’s accountability system.
Ballot Measure 26‑217, which passed with 82 percent of the vote, amended Portland’s city charter to shift disciplinary power into civilian hands and mandate community-centered reform of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). After more than two years of public engagement and recommendations from the Police Accountability Commission, the city developed an implementation plan reviewed by the Department of Justice under a settlement agreement.
The CBPA, together with the Office of Community‑based Police Accountability (OCPA), makes up the new oversight structure. The board holds authority to investigate allegations of officer and supervisor misconduct “promptly, fairly, and impartially,” administer discipline when warranted, and “recommend reforms to PPB’s policies, practices and directives—placing community concerns at the center of reform.”
The City received 121 applications after the call opened on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, and closed Monday, April 14, 2025. Of those, 118 were deemed eligible under city code provisions. A 10‑member Nominating Committee—including representatives from each of Portland’s four council districts, the Citizen Review Committee, the Office of Equity and Human Rights, the police chief’s office, the Portland Police Association and the Portland Police Commanding Officers Association—reviewed and scored submissions.
To reduce bias, all identifying information such as names and addresses were redacted before review. Using scoring instructions, NeoGov training, bias-interview guidance and confidentiality agreements, the committee met throughout March, reviewing fresh application batches each Monday. Roughly 4.4 applications were received per board position. In total, 77 applications passed initial scoring thresholds of 60 percent or more, with the committee discussing each closely and voting to advance those that gained at least six of the ten votes.
After additional steps—including withdrawals for personal reasons and disqualifications for conflicts of interest—43 applicants moved forward. Two were removed due to conflicts or other eligibility failures. The final pool of 40 was presented to City Council; from these, council members appointed 21 CBPA members and six alternates.
To ensure continuity, initial member terms are staggered: seven serve one-year terms, seven serve two-year terms, and seven serve three-year terms. Alternates will undergo the same background checks and training as full members and must be ready to fill vacancies, serving out remaining terms. Both full and alternate members are eligible for reappointment. The 21 board members will receive a stipend of $500 annually, with $3,000 set aside for alternates. These expenses are drawn from the oversight system’s budget, which must comprise at least 5 percent of PPB’s operating budget—approximately $13,500 annually.
The board members appointed are:
• One-year terms: Madeline Carroll, Karly Edwards, Corinne Frechette, Trish Garner, Terrence Hayes, Pete La Raus, Natisha Pratt.
• Two-year terms: Kyle Ashby, Gillian Herrera, Shelley Maddox, Jesse Neilson, Timothy Pitts, Schuyler (Hugh) Halsey, Bendikt Springer.
• Three-year terms: Murtaza Batla, Justice Brooks, Ash Jimenez, Tida Lane‑Howe, Tim O’Donnell, Dina Ross, Charlene Westley.
• Alternates: Jason Ashley, Todd Bateman, Sara Citrenbaum, Harry Sheehan, Erica (Atticus) Sommerfield, Robert Weinstein.
With the board now formed, all 27 appointees will undergo thorough background and eligibility vetting, followed by intensive training. Their first major task includes recruiting a director for the OCPA, who will hire staff to support the board’s work. That office, together with the CBPA, will launch Portland’s most robust and community-driven police oversight system to date.
Portland’s current City Council, seated earlier in 2025, selected district-designated representatives to serve on the Nominating Committee. The committee was formed under city code to include two representatives from CRC as initial CBPA appointees, one community member from each council district, one representative from the Office of Equity and Human Rights, one from the police chief’s office, and one each from the Portland Police Association and the Portland Police Commanding Officers Association.
