© PMG FilePortland Police Bureau Rapid Response Team
Following the criminal indictment of a fellow officer, the entire Portland Police Rapid Response Team made the unanimous decision to resign, according to police sources via Portland news outlet
KXL.Cory Budworth, 40, is the first officer in the county to be prosecuted for using force during a violent protest.The
Rapid Response Team is a group of volunteer officers who respond to civil disobedience, demonstrations and riots. At the time of the incident, Officer Budworth was assigned to the Rapid Response Team for crowd control.
Indeed, Budworth was indicted for breaking up an Antifa riot in 2020,
charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. He was accused of "unlawfully, knowingly and recklessly causing physical injury" to Teri Jacobs on August 18.
A video shared on social media showed an officer running and striking a protestor with his baton. The woman fell down and was hit with the baton a second time.However, it is critical to mention that
the bureau found the baton strike in question was "not intentional" and therefore not considered lethal force, while the Independent Police Review office
viewed the strike as a "push," WCAX News
reports.The Portland Police said Tuesday:
"Unfortunately, this decorated public servant has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system."
Portland Police Association Executive Director Daryl Turner told the
Lars Larson Show Wednesday that he feared officers would quit in response to what he called a "Witch Hunt" of a prosecution.
Comment: Update 17/5/2021 More on the incident that led to the
resignation of the riot squad:
In a statement released after the indictment, Schmidt said "In this case, we allege that no legal justification existed for Officer Budworth's deployment of force, and that the deployment of force was legally excessive under the circumstances."
Budworth's indictment is a blatant attempt to "hold police accountable," a source within the Portland Police Bureau told The Post Millennial, stating that "no victim came forward." Instead, they claim that an attorney saw the video and approached Jacobs about pressing charges against the officer.
"So, what typically happens, is the riot team gets called out to be prepared for a huge protest. Then patrol officers from all three precincts are on standby which gets activated when the protest starts. This means all patrol calls go to 'priority calls only,' basically only active assaults, shootings, and person crimes only get responded to. All other calls hold indefinitely until the protest is over or the next day."
In October, County District Attorney Mike Schmidt rejected over 540 riot related cases in "interest of justice" and has implemented catch-and-release policies for accused criminals and rioters.
A Portland police officer said:
"Now that the riot team is no more, we have no clue what's going to happen. We don't have enough patrol officers to be pulled from the road to handle huge crowds. We are only backups with no gear like the riot team has."
Comment: Update 17/5/2021 More on the incident that led to the resignation of the riot squad: