The chief of police in Portland, Oregon, resigned after being on the job for just over six months.
Police Chief Jami Resch asked Lt. Chuck Lovell, who is black, to take her place on Monday. She has tendered her resignation, effective immediately, to the mayor.
“Yesterday, I called Mayor Wheeler, and I asked him to support me and to support the Portland Police Bureau in being the beginning of the change that this city needs,” Resch said at a press conference. “I believe this change starts with trust that absolutely must come from the heart. I have asked Chuck Lovell to step into the role as the chief of the Portland Police Bureau.”
#BREAKING: Portland Police Chief Jami Resch announces she’s resigning after about six months on the job. Here’s what she had to say in a news conference just moments ago: @KATUNews @PortlandPolice #Portland #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/CeP9NeFKIO
— Evan Schreiber (@SchreiberEvan) June 8, 2020
Lovell complimented Resch and said the offer was unexpected.
“I’m humbled. I’m a public servant. I’m going to show up every day with a servant’s heart,” he said. “All I can do is be me. I’m looking forward to this journey.”
Resch’s resignation comes on the heels of massive protests in Portland sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis late last month.
