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Newly elected U.S. Rep Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon) has selected a Portland police officer as her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
These selections are often intended to make a political statement, and Chavez-DeRemer’s choice of Officer Jordan Zaitz appears to be no exception.
Zaitz made headlines last year when she lamented Portlanders’ lack of enthusiasm toward law enforcement in an interview with NW Labor Press. “We need the community to say they want us to be like [we used to be] again,” she said.
Zaitz is a decorated 19-year veteran of the force and a current member of the Neighborhood Response Team in the East Precinct. She was awarded the Mark Zylawy Distinguished Service Medal late last year, according to a Portland Police Bureau press release announcing her selection.
“I look forward to speaking with her about my experiences on this team and how we can work together to address the problems affecting our neighborhoods moving forward,” Zaitz said in a statement.
Chavez-DeRemer was more blunt about those problems. “Serving on the front lines of the homelessness and drug crises in Oregon, Officer Zaitz has an incredible story to tell,” she said.
One more wrinkle to the selection: Chavez-DeRemer’s congressional district includes portions of outer Southeast Portland, where Zaitz patrols. But Zaitz resides in another part of Chavez-DeRemer’s district: Clackamas County. Like most Portland police officers, she does not live in Portland.