Jami Resch
Jami Resch Portland Police Bureau

Former Portland Police Chief Jami Resch has been appointed to the bureau's executive team by Chief Chuck Lovell—two months after Lovell replaced Resch as the bureau's leader.

Resch will serve as Assistant Chief of Investigations, one of three assistant chiefs who work under Lovell. Resch, who's worked for PPB since 1999, will officially begin her new position on August 4.

Resch resigned as chief in early June, just six months after taking the position. The timing was significant: Resch, a white woman, stepped down ten days into Portland's nightly protests against racist policing, handing the position over to Lovell, a Black man.

“I asked Chuck Lovell to step into the role as Chief of Police for the Portland Police Bureau," said Resch, at a June 8 press conference. "He is the exact right person at the exact right moment."

City and police leadership never said that Lovell was appointed to the job because of his race, but the timing of the transfer struck many Portlanders as a PR move—especially because his appointment came while Portland officers were assaulting and arresting Black Lives Matter protesters on a nightly basis.

This trend has not changed under Lovell's direction. Several legal orders, however, have reined in PPB's more aggressive crowd control tactics since late June.

In her resignation announcement, Resch said she would remain a sworn member of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). But it wasn't determined what position she would fill at the time. It's now clear PPB is intent on keeping Resch in a leadership role.

"Jami stepped aside during an extraordinary time in a selfless manner to do what she believed was best for the Bureau," said Chief Lovell in a press release announcing Resch's new job. "She is an exceptional leader and I am excited she will be re-joining the Executive Team."