Portland police standoff avoided the worst

Mission commander explains why the public didn't know

Officer Jason Jones faced tough decisions last month.

The three-hour standoff foiling the arrest of an armed man at Northwest 21st and Irving streets April 14 was the consequence of de-escalation policies adopted by the Portland Police Bureau in recent years.

That’s what the Portland Police officer who managed the crisis and ensuring arrest two days later told District 4 Coalition representatives on May 5.

“We’ve changed our strategy on such cases quite a bit over the years,” said Jason Jones, a member of the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team. “We were quicker to use force than we are today.”

Reasons for limiting force have to do with a federal agreement pertaining to mental health situations, body cameras that record every police intervention and fear of provoking anti-police demonstrations, he said.

Jones said officers were worried last month’s encounter would become a shooting.

While Raul Nava Jr. was initially assumed to be high on methamphetamine, in time he settled down and espoused beliefs of his sovereign authority and the limits of the American government.

“What was interesting about this particular case is, the calmer he got, the more resolute he was that you're gonna have to shoot me,” Jones said. “That stupefied the negotiator. He had never seen that before”

Police shot Nava on the wrist with a rubber bullet, causing a patch of blood that could be seen in some photos. He was arrested two days later in a complex dance of force and flexibility.

Jones said the police intended to arrest him the morning after the showdown, but when they arrived at 5 a.m., television news crews were waiting by Nava’s tent at the corner where he faced off with police.

So the police returned the next day, equipped with a robot, Mace, armor and various levels of weaponry. The robot and gas were employed to force a surrender from Nava, who had wrapped himself tightly in a sleeping bag and tent.

The police retreat after the initial showdown raised questions with the public. This is where Jones confesses to an error in implementation. The public was not informed that Nava remained under close scrutiny and had to assume that he could again become a threat.

“Where I failed in the biggest way was the press release didn’t include all the factors, leaving people to connect dots that weren’t there,” he said.

Another area in which Jones felt he was on thin ice was in giving a full recap to coalition members.

“I don’t even know that I have the authority to do this,” he said.