New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, and now Portland are seeing early retirements and resignations from veteran law enforcement officers. It is not just confined to those cities. Police officers and other public safety personnel across America are asking themselves: Why should they put their lives on the line every day when their left wing political masters consistently leave them high and dry at the slightest provocation? This is Portland’s story.
FNC: “All 50 of the Portland Police Bureau’s highly trained rapid response unit officers resigned this week after the recent indictment of Officer Corey Budworth for allegedly assaulting a photographer during an overnight riot last summer. That night, according to the police union, about 200 demonstrators – many equipped with tactical helmets, faces covered, and armed with a variety of weapons – descended on the Multnomah Building in southeast Portland. Multiple dumpsters were set on fire, buildings were defaced, and windows were broken. A riot soon was declared at the planned event after someone from the crowd launched a Molotov cocktail into the building, setting it ablaze. According to the union, rioters regrouped and began marching back toward the building. As the Rapid Response Team was working to clear the area, Officer Budworth ‘was forcefully knocked to the ground’ and officers deployed pepper spray and less lethal munitions as the crowd grew more aggressive.”
Portland's ENTIRE police riot squad has resigned due to the city's leaders putting criminals over law & order.
I stand with them.
Do you?
— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) June 18, 2021 [1]
“Unfortunately, this decorated public servant has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system,” the Portland Police Association said Tuesday. A Multnomah County grand jury has charged Budworth with fourth-degree assault related to the Aug. 18, 2020, incident with a photographer.
“After nearly 75 consecutive nights of violence, destruction, and mayhem, a small group of RRT (Rapid Response Team) officers — including Officer Budworth — were again tasked with dealing with the riot,” the Portland Police Association said. “Per PPB Command Staff orders, RRT officers cleared the rioters from the area to allow the Fire Bureau to extinguish the blaze. But the rioters were not satisfied.”
“RRT officers, including Officer Budworth, used their Police Bureau-issued batons to try and stop the crowd’s criminal activity,” the union’s description of events continued. “Per his training and in response to the active aggression of a rioter interfering with a lawful arrest, Officer Budworth used baton pushes to move a rioter, now known to be Teri Jacobs, out of the area.”
“Reasonably believing that she was getting back up to re-engage in her unlawful activities, Officer Budworth employed one last baton push to try and keep her on the ground, which accidentally struck Ms. Jacobs in the head,” the union said. “The location of Officer Budworth’s last baton push was accidental, not criminal. He faced a violent and chaotic, rapidly evolving situation, and he used the lowest level of baton force — a push; not a strike or a jab — to remove Ms. Jacobs from the area.”
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell responded. But it’s not enough and smacks of typical bureaucratic gibberish. “Law enforcement is held to a higher standard and must constantly strive to live up to that standard. PPB has processes of accountability in place that take time to complete,” Lovell said in a statement on Tuesday. “As Chief, I have a role to play in the Police Bureau’s internal process associated with this case and therefore, I cannot provide additional details.”
His police department “remains committed to providing public safety service to this city, where our personnel respond with professionalism and compassion. PPB has worked hard over the years to revamp our policies and training and we continue to look for additional ways to maintain our community’s trust. I ask for the community’s patience as we follow the guidelines of the established internal accountability process.” And with that, more cops will leave.
This piece was written by David Kamioner on June 19, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette [2] and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
Coronor Releases New Details About Alleged Suicide Of Clinton Tarmac Reporter Christopher Sign [3]
Trey Gowdy Torches The Media For Not Even Trying To Stay Neutral [4]
Kayleigh McEnany Says That ‘As A Woman Of Faith’ She ‘Never Lied’ As Trump’s Press Secretary [5]