Community Board for Police Accountability Meeting 08/27/26
Police accountability board picked Meline Carroll as temp chair, Pete Larouse as vice chair through Dec 9, using a new ranked-choice voting tool. Permanent director pick still weeks out—public candidate event Sept 9, vote Sept 15—and they only got their own outside lawyer in July.
Summary
Meline Carroll was elected temporary chair and Pete Larouse temporary vice chair of the Community Board for Police Accountability, using a new ranked-choice online voting tool. Both will serve through December 9, 2026. Before the vote, the board certified four candidates, heard from each, and adopted a document spelling out the chair and vice chair roles — including guardrails meant to avoid prohibited serial communications under Oregon public meeting law. One nominee, Justice Brooks, withdrew, citing outside commitments and confidence in the remaining candidates.
The board also received a lengthy operational update from staff. The search for a permanent OCPA director is well underway: second-round interviews were happening this week, a public presentation of top candidates is set for September 9 at the Matt Dishman Community Center, and a final vote is planned for September 15. Staff reported progress hiring support staff — the clerk position is furthest along but awaits a union decision on bargaining, with an estimated six weeks to onboard once cleared. Members also learned the board has had its own independent attorney, Jenny Maren of an outside firm, since July, and that she does not report to the city attorney's office. Additional updates covered member reappointments (one-year terms expire February 2027), recruitment for alternates, a website tool for public comment signup, procurement contracts, and a transition plan between IPR, CRC, and the new board.
Public commenters, including CRC chair Ume Delgado and former Commissioner Joanne Hardesty, encouraged the board to exercise its independence, seek its own legal advice, read the underlying ballot measure, and attend upcoming CRC meetings as learning opportunities. Next steps include the September candidate events, continued staff hiring, a possible emergency meeting to draft board values, and a reflection on how the temporary leadership arrangement worked at the end of the three-month term.
Key Points
- The board elected Meline Carroll as temporary chair and Pete Larouse as vice chair through December 9, 2026, using a new ranked-choice voting tool
- The board adopted roles and responsibilities for the temporary chair and vice chair positions, including limits to avoid prohibited serial communications under Oregon public meeting laws
- Staff provided extensive operational updates on the OCPA director recruitment, support staff hiring, recruitments, and the IPR/OCPA transition
Votes (3)
Temporary Chair and Vice Chair Term Length
Set the term for the temporary chair and vice chair from August 27, 2026 through December 9, 2026
Approval of Chair and Vice Chair Roles and Responsibilities
Approve the specific document outlining the roles and responsibilities of the chair and vice chair
Certification of Leadership Candidates
Certify the four nominated candidates (Meline, Sarah, Pete, and TA) for the chair and vice chair positions
Action Items
- New chair to consider scheduling an emergency meeting to draft board values
- Develop a procedure for board members to submit agenda topics to the chair
- Conduct a reflection/postmortem at the end of the three-month leadership term
- Upload the independent attorney contract and adopted roles document to the website
- Host top OCPA director candidate presentation at Matt Dishman Community Center on September 9
- Hold executive session and vote on the OCPA director on September 15
- Include ASL and Spanish (and other common language) interpretation and marketing in candidate presentation outreach
- Confirm venue capacity for the candidate presentation and arrange overflow if needed
- Continue support staff recruitment for clerk, analyst, communications, and OCPA city attorney positions
- Advance IPR/OCPA transition plan and website enhancement project
Issues Discussed (6)
The newly formed Community Board for Police Accountability elected Meline Carroll as temporary chair and Pete Larouse as vice chair through December 2026, and received updates on the OCPA director search (candidate presentation set for September 9, vote planned September 15) and the transition from IPR/CRC to the new oversight board. The board also confirmed it has retained independent legal counsel separate from the city attorney's office, following public testimony urging it to assert its independence.
Budget-related matters were referenced only tangentially through discussion of procurement contracts and staff hiring costs (including the clerk position and independent attorney arrangement), but no specific vote or decision on budget utilization or reallocation was detailed in this meeting.
Staff reported that the OCPA director search is in its final stages, with second-round interviews underway, a public presentation of top candidates scheduled for September 9 at Matt Dishman Community Center, and a final vote planned for September 15.
Staff updated the board on hiring progress, noting the clerk position is furthest along but awaiting a union decision on bargaining, with an estimated six-week onboarding timeline once cleared. The update also covered recruitment for board alternates and other support staff as part of the broader OCPA transition.
Staff confirmed the board has retained its own independent attorney, Jenny Maren of an outside firm, since July, who does not report to the city attorney's office; public commenters further urged the board to exercise its independence and continue seeking its own legal advice.
Not mentioned in this meeting; the summary covers only Community Board for Police Accountability leadership elections and OCPA operational updates, with no reference to the Moda Center renovation or lease negotiations.