A letter from the Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) internal affairs department has confirmed that three police officers—including former police union head Brian Hunzeker—were responsible for the information leak that led to several media outlets incorrectly reporting that City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty had committed a hit-and-run in March.
The October letter, first obtained by OPB, details how a false accusation wound up being reported as fact by the Oregonian and several conservative media channels.
The PPB investigation, which was initiated on Hardesty's request, centers on a 911 call made March 3, in which a caller accused Hardesty of rear-ending her vehicle in Southeast Portland before fleeing the scene. While PPB later found that the caller had incorrectly identified Hardesty as the suspect, the investigation found that officers wasted no time in leaking this information as fact.
The investigation names three officers: Hunzeker, who was president of the Portland Police Association (PPA) at the time of the incident, Ken Le, and Kerri Ottoman.
According to the investigation, Hunzeker called a reporter to share the news of this alleged crime and then sent that reporter a copy of the 911 call transcript. PPB Commander Kristina Jones, who reviewed the incident for PPB's internal affairs division, said Hunzeker "admitted" that these acts violated PPB's directives. Based on media reports from the day, it can be concluded that the reporter Hunzeker contacted was employed...
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