Hearing petition surprises Tigard officials

from The Oregonian, by Kate Taylor


SUMMARY: Lukus Glenn Supporters of the teen who was shot by officers seek a public hearing
Tigard City officials on Wednesday are baffled by a 1,060-signature petition calling for a public hearing on the police-shooting death of Lukus Glenn. The officials received the petition at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

An estimated 50 family members, friends and classmates of the 18-year-old former Tigard High School football star packed the council meeting. During public commentary, they expressed their concern over police actions in the Sept. 16 death.

"We are appalled by the response of police during this particular situation," read one of the petitions, signed by nine students of Wilson High School. "We feel that other actions could have been taken which could have prevented this wrongful death. This needless loss of life should not be tolerated or overlooked."

Washington County sheriff's deputies responded to the Glenn home in unincorporated Washington County north of Tigard after reports that the drunken teen armed with a pocket knife was breaking windows and threatening himself and others. Within about four minutes, a Tigard police officer fired non-lethal beanbag rounds at Glenn and two sheriff's deputies shot him to death.

On Wednesday, Mayor Craig Dirksen said councilors had not talked about the petition but he doesn't believe it's the city's place to take a stand.

"I guess I'm glad that the people felt free to come and talk to us, that they would consider it an avenue," Dirksen said. "I don't know that it resulted in any satisfaction on their part."

Dirksen said that the shooting happened outside city limits and that Tigard police were not the primary agency involved.

Members of Lukus Glenn's family could not be reached Wednesday for comment. But Larry Peterson, a Lake Oswego attorney representing the family, remained critical of Tigard, saying that the officials could help see that justice is done.

"The response (at Tuesday's meeting) was 'Yeah, we'll look at it again.' It was real namby-pamby," Peterson said. The city is shirking responsibility, he said, because a Tigard police officer was involved in the shooting, the city funds and oversees its police and because the city is charged with answering questions asked by its citizens.

In October, the district attorney's office upheld the officers' actions and declined to send the case to a grand jury. The Glenn family asked Tigard and the Washington County Board of Commissioners to hold a public inquest into the shooting, but the county commissioners refused.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - 11/2/2006

Who furnished the alcohol?

Everyone is saddened for all involved in the tragic loss of 18-year-old Lukus Glenn. I try not to pass judgment on anyone involved because I wasn't there.

However, the piece by the Glenns' attorney, Lawrence K. Peterson ("The public deserves more than silence," Oct. 31), bashing Washington County for its silence and not "focusing on the larger picture" was the last straw for me.

Glenn's drunken state was the major contributing factor in his death, and no less so than if he had died wrapping his car around a utility pole. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit for an adult, which he was not. There is no legal limit for a teenager.

If the Glenns and their attorney truly want to focus on the "larger picture," then they ought to be demanding to know who furnished the alcohol Lukus drank. The event that unfolded in the Glenns' front yard was the tragic consequence of someone else's illegal and irresponsible actions.

MARY BETH BUFFUM

Northwest Portland