Eugene: Reckless, unaccountable federal actions put whole community at risk

from Eugene City Manager’s Office

The city of Eugene has received many calls and emails this week asking about recent federal actions. Given the importance and time sensitivity of these issues, Mayor Knudson, Police Chief Skinner, and Independent Police Auditor Renetzky issued statements for immediate distribution.

Mayor Kaarin Knudson

Over this past year, actions by ICE and other federal agencies have left people feeling horrified, disenfranchised, and unsafe. This is true in Eugene, across Oregon, and in cities nationwide.  

In addition to violating rights and tearing communities apart, reckless and escalation-oriented behaviors of federal agencies undermine public trust and safety. These actions are not making our communities safer. In fact, this reckless trajectory makes us all less safe. It also makes our communities more susceptible to manipulation and violence.  

I also want to stress that, in Eugene, we remain committed to integrity, transparency, and accountability. We have put in place a local system—of local elected officials, sworn law enforcement officers, and independent police oversight—that is designed to actively uphold our community’s laws and values. 

After Renee Good was killed in Minneapolis, I asked our Eugene police chief and independent police auditor to join me in issuing this statement—all of our offices understand the seriousness of these circumstances. It’s also important to proactively share our commitment to community safety and the accountability built into our local laws. 

This local system stands in stark contrast to current federal agencies. Since 2017, Eugene’s Protections for Individuals Ordinance has prevented the use of City resources to detect or apprehend individuals whose only violation of the law is that they are present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. Oregon’s statewide sanctuary laws guide our local implementation, but we have local and state law in place.  

Over 20 years ago, in 2005, Eugene voters also installed Oregon’s first—and, until recently, only—independent police oversight system, including the creation of the Independent Police Auditor, who reports directly to Eugene City Council and the Civilian Review Board, which reviews the police auditor’s investigations.  

I know that stresses are high, and I know our community will continue to stand together. All people have a constitutional right to due process and peaceful protest, and I am asking us all to recommit to mutual aid and local engagement. I also ask that we take care to avoid false equivalencies between local police and federal agency actions. I want to stress that the unaccountable, reckless behavior of federal agencies puts our entire community at risk, and that includes local law enforcement who are asked to navigate an almost impossible circumstance.  

We are dealing with a federal administration focused on intimidation and retribution. Our Spanish-speaking and Latinx neighbors have been bearing the brunt of these attacks, but these are attacks on every person in our community. We refuse to accept the dehumanization of our neighbors or the militarization of law enforcement in American cities. We will continue to uphold our local laws, clarify the roles of local law enforcement, and work toward a community where everyone feels safe.  

Police Chief Chris Skinner

The shooting involving federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota has shaken people across the country. When a life is taken, anger, grief, fear, and disgust are natural and human responses. Our community has every right to feel those emotions and to express them. 

What matters now is how we respond together. 

I want to be clear that vigilantism, in any direction, is not justice. Whether it comes from individuals acting out of rage, or from authorities acting with unchecked force, vigilantism erodes trust, puts innocent people at risk, and deepens harm.  

If we believe the laws, policies, or federal practices governing immigration enforcement are unjust, the answer is not retaliation or chaos. The answer is collective action: organizing, voting, advocacy, and sustained pressure for change. History shows that durable reform comes from communities that remain principled even in moments of deep anger. 

We must also recognize that how Eugene responds will be closely watched. Our conduct as a community can become a predicate event, one that influences whether the federal government chooses restraint or escalation. We do not want our pain or outrage to be used as justification for increased federal law enforcement presence or militarized responses that ultimately make communities less safe. 

Peaceful protest, mutual care, and civic engagement are powerful. They protect our neighbors, preserve local autonomy, and keep the focus where it belongs: on accountability, human dignity, and meaningful reform. 

We can be outraged without being reckless. We can demand change without becoming what we oppose. That is how communities protect themselves, and each other, in moments like this. 

Independent Police Auditor Craig Renetzky

In light of the recent events in Minneapolis and Portland and throughout the United States it is important that our community have a clear understanding of the role of the City of Eugene’s Independent Police Auditor and the important differences in transparency and oversight that distinguishes Eugene from federal law enforcement. 

The Police Auditor reports directly to, and is funded by, the Eugene City Council. The auditor’s office is an independent, civilian entity performing oversight of the Eugene Police Department. Neither our funding nor management overlap with the Eugene Police Department. No employee of the Independent Police Auditor’s Office is an employee of the Eugene Police Department. 

This structure allows for an independent review of the actions of the Eugene Police Department.  The Auditor’s office reviews all complaints about the actions of the Police Department and any use of force.  As a result, they can be honest and transparent in their findings since the office and its staff does not answer to anyone who works in the police department; this includes officers and all other employees of the Eugene Police Department. 

The auditor has a great deal of experience in the field of police oversight and accountability. The auditor utilizes that experience to thoroughly investigate complaints and uses of force involving the police department, to classify complaints of police misconduct, to audit the investigations based on these complaints, and to analyze trends and recommend improvements to police services in the city. 

The work of the auditor’s office is also evaluated by a seven-member Civilian Review Board, which is made up of residents from Eugene. They also have the ability to review cases that have been closed by the auditor’s office. 

This sort of transparency and civilian oversight distinguishes the way the City of Eugene investigates uses of force and allegations of misconduct by the Eugene Police Department from the way the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) investigates similar incidents.   

The Eugene Police Auditor only has the legal ability to investigate actions by anyone working for the Eugene Police Department, and this ability does not extend to other law enforcement agencies including federal agencies or other state and municipal police departments even if they are taking actions in the City of Eugene. 

If you have questions about the policies and procedures of the Eugene Independent Police Auditor’s office, or if you wish to file a complaint or commendation about the Eugene Police Department you can contact Auditor Craig Renetzky at 541-682-5016 or online. Submissions may be made anonymously.