Oregon State Police are leaving Portland after spending two weeks in the state’s largest city to help protect a federal courthouse that has been the target of ongoing protests.
The law enforcement officials are “continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority,” Capt. Timothy Fox told area television stations.
“Last night was our last night in Portland,” he said.
President Trump dispatched U.S. agents to Portland in July amid protests surrounding the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse. The federal agents began drawing down later that month after the Department of Homeland Security and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) reached an agreement that included state troopers being sent into the city, according to multiple reports.
Since the protests began, over 500 people have been arrested. Fewer than 50 are being prosecuted, according to The Associated Press.
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced earlier this week that his office will not prosecute people arrested for city ordinance violations unless they included property damage, theft or the use or threat of force against another person, according to Portland’s KGW8.
Protests have continued nightly since the state police were moved into the city. A riot was declared Wednesday night after police said a group threw mortars, rocks, bottles and cans of paint, the outlet reported. Two people were arrested, and state police said a trooper sustained a “concussion & whiplash after being struck in the head during the protests in Portland.”
Some protesters allegedly set off fireworks, and police deployed tear gas, according to the AP.
Protests were sparked in the city following the police killing of George Floyd, which set off demonstrations across the country for racial justice.