Portland police officers used too much force when responding to the 2020 riots after the death of George Floyd, according to a report released on Wednesday by Independent Monitor, LLC, a consulting firm hired by the city.
Protesters in Portland, Oregon, threw objects, like fireworks, frozen water bottles and rocks, at officers during the 2020 riots, while others shined lasers in the officers’ eyes, the Associated Press reported.
Officers relied too heavily on “violent” dispersal tactics during these protests and, instead, should have relied on “warnings to allow community members the opportunity to leave the area,” according to the report.
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“Some interviewees expressed the view that PPB [the Portland Police Bureau] should have specifically targeted these individuals for arrest rather than relying on crowd dispersals,” the report reads. “Our review provides support for that perspective, and we believe that PPB’s heavy reliance on crowd dispersal with CS gas was often a mistake for several reasons.”
The report provided 12 recommendations for the officers, which included training on how to “keep cool” during volatile protests and the reduction of crowd dispersal tools.
“It is our view that extensive public order training, including iterative stress inoculation, can help officers to de-escalate and keep cool in volatile environments, including protests and riots that descend into serious disorder,” the report reads.
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Officers reported more than 450 injuries during the 2020 Portland protests, according to the report. Rioters caused more than $10 million in damages to public buildings and $5 million to private businesses in the city.
Portland’s City Council did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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