In Portland, Oregon, an entire police crowd-control Wheeler responded to what The Washington Post called anti-police demonstrations by offering to cut $12 million from the police budget. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Jacobs case was just one of the accusations of excessive force the Rapid Response Team faced during 2020, where the bureau recorded around 6,000 incidents of force. "They deserve better. Its members were sworn employees of the Portland Police who served on RRT in addition to their daily assignment in the Bureau. We cannot expect the community to trust law enforcement if we hold ourselves to a lower standard, Schmidt wrote. Portland Austin now finds itself with an untenable shortage of police officers with 300 vacancies in the department reported. Budworth was indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury on one count of fourth-degree assault related to the incident involving activist and photographer Teri Jacobs. No, police are not retiring en masse because of Black Lives Matter. In this February 2020 photo supplied by a protest observer, Portland police Officer Corey Budworth, left, and Det. Entire Portland Rapid Response Team Resigns The riot control team at the Portland police department decided to quit en masse after another cop was indicted for slugging a photographer. Davis said he supports Multnomah County District Attorney Schmidts commitment to holding people accountableincluding PPB officersfor criminal activity. is funded by you, and thats why were counting on your donation to keep us going. Speaking to OPB on Wednesday, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidtsaid his office was still reviewing other use of force cases by officersrelated to protests, leaving the door open for further criminal prosecutions against RRT members. Crucially, they dont have a lot to gain from staying on the force for much longer, said McMahon. In a statement Thursday, the police bureau confirmed the resignations but did not give a specific reason why the officers decided to leave the team. I remain deeply concerned these RRT resignations are yet another example of a rogue paramilitary organization that is unaccountable to the elected officials and residents of Portland, Hardesty said. Members of the RRT, which is a voluntary assignment, receive advanced specialized training to respond to incidents such as public-order policing as well as man-made and natural disasters. About 50 officers in the Portland, Oregon, police force have quit the crowd-control squad tasked with handling protests. Law enforcement officials have met calls for defunding police and protests against police violence with an implicit threat: be careful what you wish for. The prosecution brought against Budworth was done with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau and came as a result of a grand jury process. New York City saw its overtime payments quadruple in the two weeks after the protests. A Well use the resources we have.. Oregon Health Officials Optimistic about the Decline of COVID, Flu, and RSV, Oregon Legislators Aim to Reduce Waste With New Reusable Takeout Container Rules, Gunshot Detection Companies Vie for Portland Contract and a Skeptical Public's Approval, Multnomah County District Attorney Announces Immigration Neutral Prosecution Policies, THE TRASH REPORT: Money and Florida (Featuring T-Swift, Joe Biden, and Kendall Roys Condo).