Free Republic

Police reports on a disgruntled Oregon Department of Transportation planner who surrendered to a police negotiator and SWAT team early March 8 indicate that the man hadn't made any threats, but people who worked with him were increasingly concerned that violence could erupt. Incident reports from Medford police and the Jackson County Sheriff's Department describe verbal outbursts and "a declining state of mental health" seen in slipping personal hygiene and appearance, and a "somewhat disorderly and uncooperative" exit when the man was placed on administrative leave on March 4. Fears of retaliation prompted electronic surveillance that notified authorities when the...

A week after being taken into protective custody and having his guns seized because of police concerns, 39-year-old Medford resident David J. Pyles wants to make sure what happened to him doesn't happen to anyone else. Pyles, a planner at the Oregon Department of Transportation, wrote an e-mail to Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler and the City Council demanding that they address what he called "alleged civil rights violations." -----------------------------cut-------------------------- Pyles said he is involved in a personnel matter at ODOT that is being handled through his union. He surrendered to the team voluntarily and was taken to Rogue Valley Medical...

Every year during Sunshine Week, newspaper editorial boards take pains to explain that open records and public meetings laws are important not just for news organizations but for every member of the public. It helps when we have a high-profile example. On Thursday, the city of Medford obligingly handed us one, by refusing to release records that could explain why a SWAT team took a man into custody last week and seized his legally obtained firearms without a warrant or any criminal charge. Medford is not the only entity dragging its feet on informing the public. Oregon State Police told...

To hear them tell it, the officers who apprehended 39-year-old David Pyles on March 8 thwarted a mass murder. The cops “were able to successfully take a potentially volatile male subject into protective custody for a mental evaluation,” the Medford, Oregon, police department announced in a press release. The subject had been placed on administrative leave from his job not long before, was “very disgruntled,” and had recently purchased several firearms. “Local Law Enforcement agencies were extremely concerned that the subject was planning retaliation against his employers,” the press release said. Fortunately, Pyles “voluntarily” turned himself over to police custody,...