Statement From Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt On Officer Involved Protest Case Memos

Press release from the Multnomah County District Attorney:

September 4, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released the following statement and legal memos for public release:

“I became aware of several claims of excessive force by law enforcement against civilians during the protests last year. These claims are disturbing and further rupture the trust between our community and the criminal justice system. My office received these cases through direct complaints, civil lawsuits, social media posts, videos and plaintiff’s attorneys. In response, I directed my staff to review these cases. One such case was Officer Corey Budworth, whom we indicted for striking a woman with a baton. This was the first indictment of an officer for excessive use of force in a protest related case in recent county history. In several that remained, we found no legal basis to pursue criminal charges under current law. In an effort to bring transparency to these conclusions, our office has produced and made publicly available two explanatory memos detailing the circumstances of these complaints and the legal framework within which our office has the authority to review such cases. I encourage members of the public to review the memos published with this statement. “

See memos here:

Officer Involved Protest Case Memo I

Officer Involved Protest Case Memo II

This press release was produced by the Multnomah County District Attorney. The views expressed here are the author’s own.