Officers in Bend shooting had no excessive force record - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

Document text

Officers in Bend shooting had no excessive force record Wednesday Mar 8, 2017 at 7:42 PM The Associated Press BEND — Records show neither of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who was stopped in central Oregon for driving erratically have a previous history of excessive force. According to the Bend Police Department records, the officers received little criticism or reprimand during their 14 combined years with the force, The Bend Bulletin reported Tuesday. Officers Mark Tisher and Scott Schaier were placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the December incident. Police have said there was an altercation after Michael Tyler Jacques, 31, was pulled over. A Taser was used on Jacques before Schaier shot him multiple times. An attorney for Jacques' family has said Jacques was unarmed and still belted in his vehicle when he was killed. "All signs are pointing to that this was not a justified shooting," said Attorney Jennifer Coughlin. Oregon State Police is looking into the fatal encounter and has declined to comment or release any details about their investigation. The personnel records obtained by the newspaper through a public records request show Schaier has been with the department for about four years, and Tisher has been with the force for nearly a decade. Schaier, 32, started working for the department in 2013 after a stint with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In 2015, he was verbally reprimanded for making mistakes such as leaving a rifle in the trunk of his patrol car and leaving the car running when he was not in it, according to the records. Schaier was also at fault in two minor car accidents, which evaluations attributed to him learning to drive in central Oregon's weather conditions. Tisher, 46, started with the department as a reserve officer in 2000 before becoming a full-time officer seven years later. Evaluations showed Tisher has a kind attitude toward co-workers and the community. Criticism amounted to verbal reprimand over written police reports lacking in detail. "(They had done) nothing that would shake my trust and faith in their ability to go out and do the job," said Bend police Chief Jim Porter about the two officers. "I have every confidence that we are going to come through this and our officers are going to be found doing the right thing."