Jami L. Resch is the former

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the police bureau of Portland,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. She served in that role from December 31, 2019, until June 8, 2020.

Early life and education

Resch was born in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, and moved to the Beaverton area early in her life. She attended

Beaverton High School Beaverton High School (often referred to as The Beaverton High School) is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. The original schoolhouse, called Beaverton Public School, opened in 1875 on land between Canyon Road and Br ...

. She went on to graduate from the

University of Portland , mottoeng = The truth will set you free , established = 1901 , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross) , endowment = $218 million , president = Robert D. Kelly , students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...

in 1996 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

allied health Allied health professions are health care professions distinct from optometry, dentistry, nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. They provide a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and support services in connection with health care. Definitio ...

and a minor in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

Career

Resch, who originally wanted to become a doctor, joined the

Portland Police Bureau The Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officially the Portland Bureau of Police, is the law enforcement agency of the city of Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. While oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City ...

in 1999 in a recruiting push that hired 80 new officers. Over the next two decades, Resch rose through the ranks; she was promoted to sergeant in 2008, lieutenant in 2012, and captain in October 2016. After her promotion to captain, she served as acting commander of the North Precinct. In May 2018 she was appointed assistant chief of the Investigations Branch. On May 3, 2019, she began to serve as deputy chief. On December 30, 2019

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Mayor

Ted Wheeler Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Portland, Oregon since 2017. He was Oregon State Treasurer from 2010 to 2016. Wheeler was elected in the 2016 Portland mayoral election and re ...

announced the resignation of Resch's predecessor,

Danielle Outlaw Danielle Outlaw (born September 1976) is an American law enforcement officer. She became Commissioner for the Philadelphia Police Department on February 10, 2020. She previously served as chief of police for the Portland Police Bureau, in Oregon. ...

; he named Resch as her replacement in the same announcement. Resch was sworn in the following day. Whereas Wheeler hired Outlaw after a lengthy national search with public input, the mayor chose to promote Resch from within the bureau immediately and without public input. She is the 49th person to serve as chief. On June 8, 2020, Resch stepped down as chief of police, handing over the position to Chuck Lovell after her handling of the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

was met with controversy.

References

1970s births Living people Chiefs of the Portland Police Bureau University of Portland alumni {{Oregon-stub