POLICE WERE TOO POLITICAL ON POT, COMPLAINT SAYS

Marijuana Advocate Cites Rules on Political Activity

A Williams marijuana-reform advocate has filed a complaint alleging
that Medford police officials violated state law restricting public
employees' political activity while at work.

Laird Funk filed a complaint against Medford police Chief Randy
Schoen, Deputy Chief Tim George and Lt. Tim Doney on Monday, the day
the three were quoted in a Mail Tribune story on law enforcement
concerns about a ballot measure that would establish medical
marijuana dispensaries in the state.

The complaint is about a possible violation of a state law that
prohibits public employees from soliciting "money, influence, service
or other thing of value" or otherwise promoting or opposing
candidates and measures during working hours, state officials said.
The civil case has been assigned to an investigator, the Secretary of
State's Office reported.

Schoen said that Funk has been a vocal critic of police and their
stance on marijuana, so he wasn't surprised by the complaint.

"I stand by everything I said," Schoen said. "We didn't say 'don't
vote for this measure.' We said these are our concerns and some of
the issues we see."

He maintains that police, who respond to calls about problems from
growers, patients and neighbors and would be tasked with protecting
dispensaries, have insight into how the medical marijuana law is
working now and what changes might mean on the street.

Schoen said state law provides Funk with a mechanism to report his
concerns about police statements, and he respected that process.
Schoen also said that he and his fellow officers were within their
rights to provide information to the public and Funk should respect that.

Funk didn't return a call from the Mail Tribune on Wednesday.

On Monday, he also filed a complaint alleging Mark Mills violated the
same ban on public workers' political activity. Although details of
that complaint weren't immediately available from the state,
Deschutes County Sheriff's Capt. Mark Mills also has talked about law
enforcement concerns about Measure 74, as reported in The Bulletin in Bend.