Police accountability reform advocates this week are raising alarm bells about a Portland police union-backed ballot petition that would ask voters to weaken the city’s planned civilian-run police oversight board. The move, if placed on the November ballot and approved by voters, would strip the future board’s power to discipline officers and shift its focus to helping the Police Bureau recruit and retain officers. About 80% of Portland voters approved creating a new oversight board in 2020, as the city experienced calls for police accountability reform and racial justice. The planned Community Board for Police Accountability is expected to launch in summer 2025 and would investigate complaints of officer misconduct and impose discipline, including up to firing officers, when appropriate. The ballot petition filed last week would undo components of that plan. It would put the city’s police chief – not the oversight board – in charge of making disciplinary decisions, remove a prohibit...