Well, good afternoon. Thanks for gathering with us today. Just want to highlight uh a couple of things over the last 24- 48 hours. Continue to be really proud of the work of the Portland Police Bureau. Really proud of the way that Portlanders are showing up in these unprecedented times, recognizing the difference of opinions and the desire to express those opinions. Yesterday, Portland Police Bureau monitored two significant public order events. Uh, one down in Waterfront Park, another one down at the ICE facility in South Waterfront. I want to recognize the great work of our dialogue liaison officers. These are the officers that have received additional training. They wear the white shirts. They go out beforehand, engage with organizers, and we have seen some really great responses from that and develop some relationships with those in the activist community that are continuing to allow these events to play out in a much safer way. We saw that last night down at the facility. A car drove into the area where some protests were occurring and it was our dialogue leazison officers that were able to work with the crowd and work with the driver to get the vehicle um safely out of that situation. I also want to recognize the good work of our rapid response team and our police officers in support of that. There has been a widely distributed video of an assault that occurred last night down at the facility where uh people were striking another person on the ground with a stick. I know that's out there. I also want to emphasize that at that uh shortly after that incident occurred, we were able to move in, make arrest. We arrested two people for assault, one adult for assault three, which is a felony, and one juvenile for assault four, which is a misdemeanor. and we were able to get that victim safety and treatment that they needed. So, please, if you're sharing that clip that you would also identify the fact that we did make an arrest shortly um after that event occurred and we are down there. We are paying attention. We are engaged. I really am proud of the work we're doing. We're going to stay involved down there, but I want to emphasize that political violence is not acceptable, but violence in the city is not acceptable. And I'm super proud of where we have come in the last couple of years around public order events as well as in the reduction of crime. But we will not accept or tolerate people coming down to South Waterfront for the purpose of engaging in violence. So fighting in the street, fighting amongst one another, whether or not it's agreed upon behavior between the individuals is not permissible by law. and we will make arrests and I spoke with the district attorney today and we will assure prosecution and follow through for that activity. We know that down at the facility there are a lot of competing points of view and a lot of differences of opinion and last night we saw that played out more in the crowd and less directed towards the issues at the facility. Um, so we are engaged both in making sure that all of South Waterfront is remains a safe, viable place for people to be able to live, play, and thrive. And I just want to emphasize that we're not going to be um tolerating that behavior. We will have additional resources designated this evening and be evaluating on a nightly basis as to what level of presence that includes along with the Portland Police Bureau. I want to remind us also that we're not engaging in immigration, immigration enforcement or the facilitation of uh that uh facility in line with the federal officers. So, we are continuing to abide by state law, but adhering to Portland's values in responding to both violence and vandalism. With that, I'll start taking some questions. >> Chief, as it stands now, the protest of the ICE facility, does it warrant the deployment of the National Guard? Well, I don't believe that it does. No. At this point, um the actions that Portland Police Bureau demonstrated last night, you know, we were able to manage that. We probably highlighted maybe 200 folks total down there last night. Uh we were able to make a couple of arrests. Once those arrests were made, crowd quickly dissipated. Um so, I'm confident that the resources of the Portland Police Bureau can manage incidents and uh actions that are occurring down there in South Waterfront. Chief, until last night, no one had been arrested by Portland police down at these protests since, I believe, June. So, what changed? Why this new approach? >> Yeah. So, I believe the last arrest was late June, as you mentioned. We made a decision at that point to be more engaged from a monitoring standpoint. So, it wasn't as if we were ignoring the situation down there. We were directing our members to um regularly patrol the area, to respond to calls for assistance. But in the months of July and August, we saw a limited amount of uh public order matters. Most of the conflict that was occurring was occurring specifically on ICE property and with the ICE facility of which I believe is the responsibility of the federal law enforcement. So we did not see the level of violence that we saw last night on a regular basis. And so that's why we're re-emphasizing and rep prioritizing some of our attention down there. The certainly the events of the weekend also led to that. We would be naive if not negligent in our duty in recognizing the president of the United States designating 200 Oregon National Guardsmen as well as the additional federal police officers. So we have a responsibility um to be engaged in that and that's why we've rep prioritized some of our efforts down there. >> Is there a myth or a misconception since this news broke that you're like, "Oh, I just wish people understood this." Yeah, I mean the fact of the matter is and it's been highlighted so many times so well, but I just want to emphasize this is one city block. City of Portland's about 145 square miles. This is one city block and even the events that are happening down there do not rise to the level of attention that they are receiving. We are seeing this true for our society in whole. I'm not going to try and editorialize too much, but these, you know, 30-cond, 20 second, 15-second clips, clips that are brought in from months ago or maybe even years ago, we've seen Portland portrayed through the events of the lens of 20 and 21. And what's actually happening and the response that we're seeing both from Portlanders and from the Portland Police Bureau is not in line with that national narrative. And it is frustrating, but we're going to continue to stay the course. I said this on Saturday. The actions of the federal government and others doesn't change the resolve that the Portland Police Bureau has to continue to provide the highest level of safety and security and service to Portlanders. Chief, >> can I ask it's my understanding that the city council had a budget directive that said we want to limit police overtime use on things like monitoring protests. How does that how do you reconcile that with this or what's changing if anything? >> Yeah, so I had that conversation with the mayor this morning. We recognize that that was a council request, but my responsibility is for the overall protection of all Portlanders and we're going to prioritize the police bureau resources and budget in the way that we see is most beneficial and right now uh being able to be engaged and responsive. The risk is high as the whole world is watching to see how Portland is going to show up. Right? We are seeing interest from across the country about Portland specifically and I am incredibly proud to not only be the chief but to serve this city and I see this as a chance for us to be able to demonstrate what we've learned, how we've grown and the direct trajectory we are on that is very positive and to do so I'm going to make sure the police bureau can support that. >> You'd be concerned that federalized troops or the national guard might escalate protests around the ICE facility. I don't know that the guard or federal law enforcement will escalate it, but the belief and the perception around that could be seen as an escalation. I understand that trepidation that people have. Um, you know, I have been uh in conversation with our federal law enforcement partners over the last 24 to 48 hours and, you know, continue to encourage all of us to be consistent in our messaging, in our approach. Obviously, they have, you know, their mandate and their their bosses and their organizational plans, which we are not privy to, but um I don't have reason to believe that in and of themselves would instigate, but I know that the perception and the presence of is certainly concerning to Portlanders. And it was made really clear uh this weekend with Senator Mkeley and others, you know, that we don't take the bait, that we look for ways to direct our interest, our passion, our frustration into other ways. I think this is an opportunity for Portland. Um, and rather than saying what we can't do or what we shouldn't do, let's talk about what we can do. If you're frustrated and you feeling hopeless, you're feeling like you don't have a voice, this is a chance to engage in public service. This isn't a chance to volunteer. This is a chance to reach out. We have so many opportunities and needs as a community that we can take that frustration or that dissonance and maybe channel it towards something that's more productive versus focusing on what we shouldn't be doing. What federal law enforcement are you in contact with? Which agencies and whether they've been telling? >> Yeah, I speak regularly with both ICE, with FPS, with the FBI, uh with the US attorney. Um I have conversations with them. We conflict information, talk about whether or not there's been arrests, um talk about, you know, just making sure we're in communication. As I said, um, from an operational standpoint, there isn't, uh, that type of sharing of information because we don't want to cross those lines where it could be seen as if PPB is involved in immigration enforcement. But if there are questions around immigration, then they have kept the line of comm communication open for us to be able to call and try to verify information um because we know that's confusing to the community and they've been sensitive to that and they have been receptive and continue to be responsive to our outreach to try and bring clarity the best we can in a very very complex situation. >> Have you spoken to anyone with the National Guard over the past 24 or 48 hours? Um, I've spoken with uh Oregon National Guard just briefly. They were at the press conference on Saturday and um we have members of the police bureau that are part of the Oregon National Guard, but I would not say formally. We're trying to get a meeting set up. Um, the state police are primarily liaison to the Oregon National Guard. They work very closely with them. So, I do speak with the state police superintendent regularly and he's done some outreach. So I would anticipate some type of conversation hopefully in the coming days as schedules permit. >> How many of your officers >> the timing of the mobilization? Are we talking days or weeks? >> I don't have any information about that in terms of when we will actually, you know, see National Guard on the streets of port. >> So your officers have been called up. How many? >> At this point, I'm not aware of any officers that have been called up. I'm sure that if we have officers called up, we'll know about it. That certainly has an impact on our staffing and our ability to provide, you know, ongoing high level of service. But at this point, I have not been notified of any of our members being activated. >> She has a question. >> Yeah. Thank you. So, you mentioned the protests were largely peaceful, but there were some clashes between counterprotesters or opposing groups. Um, what are you guys doing? Maybe preventative measures, those dialogue officers to try to mitigate some of those clashing of opinions. >> Yeah, last night some of our dialogue officers early on were able to do just that. we were able to step in to these competing points of views and you know find some off-ramps, find some alternative ways for them to be able to share information. The reality is is that you know we can have these competing truths. That's what exists in America. That's what this is, you know, trying to elevate is that we can have these differing points of view and we can bring those to the public square and we can express those as long as they're not done so in a violent way. And we're not going to be tolerant of that. We're going to continue to enforce the laws. But our dialogue officers stand ready to help facilitate those conversations or to find alternative places for people to be able to express that where maybe it reduces the tension and reduces some of that conflict. >> Can you talk a little bit um the limitations of National Guard troops? They're not law enforcement. They're not technically full-blown military, right? So what what limitations do they have? Do you know? >> Well, my understanding is based upon the conversations I've had this weekend is they will be implemented for site security. So, building security, federal buildings, you have a series of federal buildings downtown, not just the ICE facility, but Edith Green next door and the US attorney's office next door. And I am speculating right now. So, you know, I don't have anything official that says what their role is going to be. Um, but that's the inference that's been conveyed to us is that it'll be in the area of site security. So, um, we'll have to see what that looks like. As I said, this is new territory for us. Um, new territory for the state, and we're just going to have to kind of take it day by day. I've been in regular communication in the last 24, 48 hours with the governor and with the mayor. Very appreciative of their support, their outreach. We are working very collaboratively as a city and as a state. I've been super encouraged at the lines of communication, the information sharing, and the cohesiveness we're seeing as we see both politics and operations collide here, right? We have practical things that are happening on the ground where Portlanders have a right to feel safe and then we also have a lot of politics going on behind the scenes which is not lost on any of us. And so we find this blending between the political and the operational uh challenging, but I'm grateful for both the governor and the mayor's support and confidence in us. Yeah. >> Chief, a lot of us can see what's happening in Portland present day, but can you kind of verbalize and compare the summer of 2020 George Floyd to now and describe the difference? >> Yeah, there's, you know, not just 5 years of time, but it's really night and day. And a couple things I would highlight that are significantly different. one, uh, Portland was very isolated and the Portland Police Bureau was very isolated in 2020. Um, police bureau was was isolated from much of city and city government and city leadership and really Portland was isolated from the state as many people pulled back and really just saw what was happening in the city and were frustrated or disappointed. And as I just mentioned, this is a statewide effort right now. I mean, the state is is really wanting to see Portland be successful. And so that is unique and that's translated all the way down to how the city is responding to the Portland Police Bureau. The mayor has been very intentional about bringing us along in this conversation. We are advising city council. We have strong support from the city administrator. Um this is not about the Portland Police Bureau. This is really about the city of Portland and in 2020 it was about the Portland Police Bureau. The other thing I would mention is just the the strides Portland police has made in the last 5 years. the changes we've already highlighted the dialogue officers changes in our response our understanding of use of force crowd control adhering to state law modifying our policies etc. So it is a totally different landscape and I think we can say that with confidence based upon what we've seen just in the last year um protest events with thousands tens of thousands of people but even last night where we had a peaceful protest and then even though we had some disturbances at the facility um after a couple of quick targeted arrests it quickly dissipated and that was the end of the story. So I think we're in a much stronger place. Can you describe the difference between uh your skills, the officer skills for crowd control versus what a National Guard troop might come in as far as their training and how's that how that >> Well, I can't speak to the differences because I'm not familiar with how the National Guard does their training. What I can say is Portland Police is seen as an international leader in the area of public order management. You know, we're regularly called upon to teach around the country, even uh as far away as England. We've pulled stuff from Europe, learned from Europe as well as Canada. Um, and our team is training at the gold standard recommended by National Tactical Officer Association. So, we are really um on the cutting edge of what it means to manage these public order events and couldn't be more grateful for that and seeing how that's being applied in real time. Focusing on crowd u management, crowd support, less about crowd control, um doing the outreach ahead of time. and we're seeing groups respond to that. We're seeing organizers reaching out to us and connecting with us and us being able to touch places that we haven't in the past. >> What can you tell us about that helicopter that's been hovering overhead? We've been hearing a lot of concern from residents who can hear it. Uh is this a federal helicopter? What do you know? >> I have no details on the helicopter. I hear it as well, but I have no details on that. I'd refer that to, you know, maybe it's the uh what the FFA or FAA would be my uh suggestion. I don't have any specifics on that. You didn't go out and buy one? >> No. Portland Police Bureau does not own a helicopter. You can print that. >> You said Portland police will be present at the facility tonight. Are you expecting another large demonstration there tonight? And in coming night, you said that uh Portland police will evaluate on a nightly basis whether to go out there. What will be your threshold? How will you be evaluating and what will you see that will make you decide whether to go? >> Right. Well, so I don't discuss specific operational plans because of security risk and you know the safety of both our officers and for the community, but it's important to me in these early days where I know there is a lot of visibility and a lot of tension um given the announcement from the president that Portlanders can feel assured that we are being focused and we are being engaged. So when we when we take these extra efforts, it does put a strain on the organization. We have to call in officers, you know, um on overtime. we have to rep prioritize um some of our response capabilities. And so it really is a day-by-day basis. And this is true for the city as a whole. I'm speaking specifically about what's happening down on South Waterfront, but we do this on a regular basis. If we have a major tactical incident, for example, we have to readjust our resources and that could happen, you know, in addition to this event. So, um we have a major crime, a homicide or something like that, we have to adjust. So, it's not entirely uncommon, but I want to just emphasize that we're sensitive to the energy transpiring down there at this time and we're paying attention to it. >> Are we good? >> Any more questions? Couple more. >> If you had the opportunity to share a single message to the president most directly involved with the deployment of the National Guard, what would that message be? Well, my message is that I have tremendous confidence in the ability of the Portland Police Bureau to provide the highest level of safety and security for all of Portlanders and for all the facilities in the city of Portland and that we are well on our way to demonstrating that throughout the efforts of the past couple of years and I don't see that changing. So, we're in good shape. Um, I don't see the need for the National Guard at this time. Uh, I really believe that we've got a handle on it. Are you frustrated that you're responsible for public safety in this city and you don't even know the details or plans for soldiers coming here? >> No, it doesn't frustrate me because the reality is, as I said, this doesn't change how we show up. We're going to be consistent. We're going to be consistent in what we do on a daily basis. And we're going to have to adjust. It doesn't mean that I'm naive or not paying attention to these outside influences. But the message of the Portland Police Bureau is we're going to stay fixed on our goals. We're transforming the dynamic between the police and the people we serve. We're reducing crime and the fear of crime. And we're focused on organizational growth and development. We've been doing that for two years. We're going to continue to do that as long as I'm in this chair. >> We good? >> Thank you. >> Thanks a lot. All right. >> All you do. >> Thank you.