Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and Counter- Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon
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Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and Counter- Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon A Review of the Portland Police Bureau’s Response to Demonstrations on June 4, 2017, August 4, 2018, and August 17, 2019 Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and Counter- Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon: A Review of the Portland Police Bureau’s Response to Demonstrations on June 4, 2017, August 4, 2018, and August 17, 2019 December 2020 The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, the National Police Foundation cannot vouch for their current validity. A list of assessment team members and their bios can be found in Appendix C. Recommended citation: National Police Foundation. (2020). Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and Counter- Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon: A Review of the Portland Police Bureau’s Response to Demonstrations on June 4, 2017, August 4, 2018, and August 17, 2019. Arlington, VA: National Police Foundation. Submitted: December 2020 Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and 1 Counter-Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon All data collection, writing, and development of recommendations presented in this report occurred prior to the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Since that time, the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau along with cities across the country have endured hundreds of days of protests—many peaceful, but also many that have brought with them violence and destruction. As these incidents continue to evolve, the National Police Foundation encourages communities and police departments to work together to bring peace, to listen to each other and to learn from responses that enable free expression while keeping life and property safe. While the assessment team acknowledges that some of the recommendations in this report may seem outdated due to the incredibly unprecedented incidents of this time, we believe that there are lessons to be learned. 2 Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and Counter-Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 9 Scope & Goals of Review ................................................................................................................9 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 10 Report Organization ..................................................................................................................... 10 Background ......................................................................................................................... 12 Governance Structure .................................................................................................................. 12 The Portland Police Bureau & Police-Community Relations ........................................................... 13 The Evolution of Protests in Portland ............................................................................................ 15 Unique Challenges in Response to Protests in Portland ................................................................. 17 Incident and Response Descriptions—June 4, 2017 and August 4, 2018 ................................. 20 June 4, 2017 ................................................................................................................................. 20 Outcomes............................................................................................................................................................ 24 August 4, 2018 ............................................................................................................................. 25 Outcomes............................................................................................................................................................ 29 Incident and Response Description—August 17, 2019 ........................................................... 30 August 17, 2019 ........................................................................................................................... 30 Outcomes............................................................................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 1. Planning, Preparation, and Training .................................................................... 36 Improvements in Planning Since 2016 .......................................................................................... 36 Ongoing Challenges...................................................................................................................... 39 Mobile Field Force and Rapid Response Team ............................................................................... 41 Mobile Field Force .............................................................................................................................................. 41 Rapid Response Team ........................................................................................................................................ 43 Findings and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 2. Incident Command .............................................................................................. 55 Incident Command ....................................................................................................................... 55 Findings and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 3. Policies, Protocols, and Strategies ....................................................................... 60 Crowd Management .................................................................................................................... 60 Special Units ................................................................................................................................ 63 Demonstration Liaison Teams ............................................................................................................................ 63 Preparing for and Responding to Mass Demonstrations and 3 Counter-Demonstrations in Portland, Oregon Embedded Portland Fire & Rescue Personnel.................................................................................................... 64 Findings and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 4. Public Communication and Messaging ................................................................ 69 Communication Strategy .............................................................................................................. 69 June 4, 2017, and August 4, 2018....................................................................................................................... 69 August 17, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................. 70 Findings and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 73 Chapter 5. After Action Review Process ................................................................................ 76 Mass Demonstration AARs ........................................................................................................... 76 Findings and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 78 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 80 Appendix A: Findings and Recommendations ....................................................................... 81 Planning, Preparation, and Training .............................................................................................. 81 Incident Command ....................................................................................................................... 90 Policies, Protocols, and Strategies ................................................................................................ 92 Public Communication and Messaging .......................................................................................... 96 After Action Review Process ......................................................................................................... 98 Appendix B: Detailed Methodology .................................................................................... 100 Open Source Media Review ........................................................................................................ 100 On-site Data Collection .............................................................................................................. 100 Portland Police Bureau ....................................................................................................................................