Portland Police Memorial vandalized in 'senseless, useless, criminal act'

On Wednesday night, the Portland Police Association revealed that the Police Memorial in Tom McCall Waterfront Park had been vandalized. 

The perpetrators, who went to each plaque to destroy the names of officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, remain at large. 

Sgt. Aaron Schmautz of the PPA described the atrocity in a post on Facebook. 

"At some point in the dark of night," Schmautz wrote, "the Police Memorial in Waterfront Park was destroyed. As a current member of Honor Guard, my heart is dismayed at such a cowardly and foolish act. The Police Memorial stands as an enduring reminder of the ultimate sacrifice paid by heroes in Portland who gave their lives to defend strangers in our community." 

He noted that each of the names was also etched on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. 

"While I find this act of destruction to be startling and ugly," Schmautz continued, "I also recognize the foolishness and short-sightedness of the actors. Too many times we have seen these hidden provocateurs either shout their way into a room where real discussions occur or destroy property and injure others when their rhetoric broke down. This behavior is the cause of so many of the issues we face as a society. We must call it out for what it is: senseless, useless, criminal acts." 

Schmautz stated that the memorial, which was installed in 1994, "will be rebuilt." He called on people to donate to the Portland Police Historical Society, which is responsible for maintaining the memorial. 

"The memory of those who are named there is ingrained in the very bedrock of our city," he declared. "It is carried in the hearts and on every patch and badge worn by the officers who stand watch now, carrying on their mission. No foolish or cowardly act can change that. They will be remembered. Those who flit around in the shadows to destroy will not."

These are the names of the officers on the now-defaced memorial:

• Thomas G. O'Conner
• Charles F. Schoppe
• Samuel S. Young
• Albert W. Moe
• James R. White
• Ralph H. Stahl
• James C. Gill
• John J. McCarthy
• Jerome Palmer
• Robert E. Drake
• Charles M. White
• Phillip R. Johnson
• Charles E. Vincent
• James A. Hines
• Roy E. Mizner
• Vernon J. Stroeder
• Roger L. Davies
• Robert P. Murray
• Robert R. Ferron, Jr.
• Stephen M. Owens
• Dennis A. Darden
• David W. Crowther
• Stanley D. Pounds
• Thomas L. Jeffries
• Colleen A. Waibel
• Kirk R. Huffstetler