Klackmas and Washington County sheriffs in Oregon said they would not send staff to help with nighttime unrest in Portland after Gov. Kate Brown unveiled plans to end violence in the city.
Brown called on the Sheriff and Gresham Police Department to support the Portland Police Bureau with personnel and resources “to maintain peace and protect free speech.”
Ccmas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said Monday the governor had never approached him before unveiling his plan to bring local law enforcement agencies into the Portland protest, and had no plans to send his staff to the night’s demonstration.
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“If Governor Brown had discussed my plan with his office, I would have told her to change policy, not to add resources,” he said in a statement released by Portland’s KATU correspondent Kelly Azar. “An increase in law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the night violence and now homicide.”
He said Portland’s newly elected district attorney has dismissed allegations against hundreds of protesters arrested for nonviolent, low-level crimes.
“The same criminals are arrested after a night out, only released by the court and not charged by the DA’s office fee. The next day they are back at it, putting law enforcement and community life at risk again, ”Roberts continued. “The criminal justice system will need its share and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
The sheriff added that his staff will still help the Reagan State Police with service calls they normally handle in Klakmas Mass County.
Under the six-point plan unveiled Sunday, Brown said the nearly 100-day protest has drained the Portland Police Bureau’s resources.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. (Photo by Nathan Howard / Getty Images)
He argued that additional local and state personnel, as well as federal resources, would give the police bureau the ability to “arrest and prosecute those engaged in violent or destructive acts and endanger public safety.”
It was unveiled after a man was fatally shot amid clashes between President Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter opponents.
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Washington Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett also said in a statement Monday that he is committed to supporting Portland police by “analyzing the risks indirectly associated with social media, providing air support, assisting in specific criminal investigations, etc.”
“I don’t plan to send deputies to work directly in Portland,” Garrett said. “The lack of political support for public safety, the precarious legal landscape, the current instability with the intense scrutiny of the use of force present an unacceptable risk if deputies are directly fired.”
“We are in agreement with other agencies,” a Gresham police spokesman told Reg Reganian.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Association’s Chief of Police said in a statement Monday that “we cannot dedicate our limited resources away from communities,” according to KATU.
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After the statement was released by Sheriff Roberts, Brown’s office told the fee station that the plan was to “allow this kind of relief to support each other as we all face the difficult situation in Portland.”
