Photo: KATU
The U.S. Department of Justice has notified the City of Portland that it is in substantial compliance with all terms of the Settlement Agreement.
Over the last six years, the City of Portland has worked to make changes in the Police Bureau to meet the requirements.
The settlement was reach in 2014 after a Department of Justice investigation found the police engaged in excessive force against people with mental health issues.
"This is a major milestone and we are very proud of the DOJ's determination that the City is in substantial compliance with all terms of the Settlement Agreement," said Chief Jami Resch. "The key focus of the Settlement Agreement is on police response to people experiencing mental illness or mental health crisis, but the reforms include much more. Achieving substantial compliance took years of hard work and many changes in policies and training, as well as improvements in areas related to force, community engagement, and accountability.
"While this is a significant goal, we are not finished with our reformative work. The next phase is to maintain the progress we have made even as we continually seek to improve our performance. I am very appreciative of our partners at the Department of Justice who worked with us for so many years to achieve this pivotal milestone. I am also extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of all PPB members to get to this critical point, and I appreciate the Portland Police Association's participation in the process. I am very grateful for the on-going partnerships and feedback from our community members, including the Mental Health Alliance, the Albina Ministerial Alliance for Justice and Police Reform, and the Portland Committee for Community Engaged Policy. We look forward to continued joint efforts to improve the Police Bureau's service to the community."