Another case coming out of the 2020 protest has hit the news. This one involves the now-disbanded Rapid Response Team. There is insufficient evidence to charge a Portland police detective with a crime when he made arrests or used force during 2020 protests while he was a member of the bureau’s , according to Oregon Department of Justice investigators.
An 18-page correspondence sent from Oregon DOJ attorney Jayme Kimberly to Multnomah’s District Attorney Mike Schmidt that “insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt” that Portland Detective Erik Kammerer (aka, “Officer 67”) committed crimes during the protests allegations.
The letter posited, “…the scope of our investigation was limited to possible criminal charges, and it did not encompass review for administrative, regulatory, policy, ethical, or other violations.” It also the l stated, “Therefore, we reach no conclusions as to the propriety of Detective Kammerer’s conduct outside of our criminal review.”
The memo stated that three of the four complainants were interviewed in the process of the investigation. Warren, Lewis and Lindseth were named. Warren filed a lawsuit against the city in May 2021 for negligence and battery.
The allegations put forth are as follows: on June 4, 2020 near the Justice Center, Kammerer pushed independent journalist Leslie McLam and put his hands on her throat; on Sept. 5, 2020 in Southeast Portland, Kammerer hit homeowner Elijah Warren in the head with a baton; on Sept. 23 in downtown Portland, Kammerer pushed independent videographer Melissa Lewis to the ground; and on Sept. 26, 2020, near Pioneer Courthouse Square, Kammerer pushed Tealana Lindseth to the ground.
The allegations were sent to state investigators in June 2021. Afterwards, the Portland Police Bureau’s Rapid Response Team voted to resign from their own unit. The letter stated that their were issues in the state-level investigation which included an ongoing internal affairs investigation as well as a separate Independent Police Review investigation. The problems with getting records was also mentioned along with obtaining records, interviewing certain “represented individuals” or gaining access to evidence.
