Oregon officers turned strategy into sex coercion, critics say

EUGENE, Ore. — A common police investigation technique is partly to blame for the behavior of two officers who demanded sex from women they stopped on patrol, victim advocates say.

Eugene police allow petty offenders — men and women — to "work off a charge" by turning in their dealers or performing drug buys that result in the arrest of three others.

Known locally as "three-for-one," the practice is spelled out in the Eugene Police Department's official policy manual and is an accepted investigation tool in cities across the country.

But the use of confidential informants, even when it benefits both sides, exploits people who are most vulnerable to coercion, say those who work closely with prostitutes and addicts.

"You would have to be naive to assume that the cops are using this kind of extortion for public safety only," said Ron Chase, director of Sponsors, an agency that provides transitional services to people getting out of jail and prison.

Chase and others point to recent revelations about two officers accused of using their power to force women into sex acts.

One of the officers, Juan Lara, 30, was sentenced in February to five years and eight months in prison. The second, Roger Magana, 41, is awaiting trial in June.

Lara's attorney said in court that the fired officer was trying to develop some of the women as drug informants

Documents related to lawsuits against Magana indicate that at least one woman offered him information about drug dealers in a desperate attempt to avoid performing the sexual acts he allegedly demanded. He rejected her offer, according to the documents.

Police say any system that relies on individual integrity and honesty can be manipulated.

"What can I say? It obviously was," said police Sgt. Lee Thoming, head of the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, which often uses confidential informants.

"These two clowns are going to get what they've got coming," Thoming said of Lara and Magana. "The bottom line is that no cops condone this, and almost every cop will be glad to see them get what they deserve."