Portland City Hall Has Received More Than 2,300 Complaints About Police Officers in a Week

The bureau has come under fire for what city commissioners describe as excessive use of force against protesters.

Police in Pioneer Courthouse Square on June 2, 2020. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Tess Riski

Portland's Independent Police Review, an oversight agency for the Portland Police Bureau, has received more than 2,300 police-related complaints in the past week, says Irene Konev, the agency's senior community outreach coordinator.

Since May 29, Portlanders have protested en masse against the killing of George Floyd and the deaths of scores of black Americans at the hands of police.

Since the protests began last month, Portland police have been scrutinized heavily for what many residents—including city commissioners—call an excessive use of force, such as deploying clouds of tear gas at protesters, pelting others with rubber bullets at a close range and using a "long range acoustic device" that can cause hearing loss.

Konev says not all 2,000-plus complaints will be investigated. It was not immediately clear how many complaints the agency usually receives on a weekly basis.

Earlier today, Portland Police Chief Jami Resch announced she was resigning from her role, and that she would be replaced by a longtime officer, Lt. Chuck Lovell.

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