President Of Portland Police Association Resigns Over “Mistake” Related To Commissioner Hardesty Investigation
PORTLAND, Ore. -The President of the Portland Police Association has resigned from his post.
The Association says Officer Brian Hunzeker is taking accountability for making a “serious, isolated mistake” related to the investigation into the false allegation of a hit and run by Portland City Commissioner Joanne Hardesty.
The Association says it apologizes for the mistake and is reaching out to the Commissioner to meet with her.
Former President Daryl Turner has been asked to return to the job in the interim.
Here’s more from the Portland Police Association:
Accountability Starts from Within
PORTLAND, OR: When we make mistakes, we must hold ourselves to account. That is what the
public expects of us. That is what we expect of ourselves.
Over the last 24 hours, we learned that Portland Police Association (PPA) President Brian
Hunzeker made a serious, isolated mistake related to the Police Bureau’s investigation into the
alleged hit-and-run by Commissioner Hardesty.
We apologize to Commissioner Hardesty for that mistake and will be reaching out to meet with her personally.
Brian’s mistake was not driven by malice. But it was a serious mistake.
He has held himself to account by resigning his position as PPA President effective immediately. The PPA’s Executive
Board has accepted his resignation.
As an organization, we recognize the impact of this mistake. We acknowledge the need to improve, starting from within. To help with that process, we have asked Daryl Turner to return to the PPA as Executive Director in the interim to help our union rebuild trust within our
membership, with City Hall and the Police Bureau, and with the community.
Portland Police Association Executive Board
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has responded to the news:
“I have reviewed the Portland Police Association’s news release about Brian Hunzeker’s resignation as union president. I appreciate the association’s call for accountability, but his resignation raises significant questions that remain unanswered. Mr. Hunzeker has given no reason for his resignation except that he made a serious mistake about an ongoing criminal investigation. As the police commissioner, I demand to know what that mistake was. I have called for an internal investigation to clarify the circumstances. While I appreciate Mr. Hunzeker’s self-described act of accountability, I demand he give a full and transparent accounting of what he did and what his motivations were to Commissioner Hardesty and the public. I call on him to do so immediately.”
