The team consisted of about 50 officers.
MORE: Portland police officer indicted on assault charge over alleged use of force at George Floyd protest
Budworth, who at the time was on the bureau's Rapid Response Team, is accused of striking a woman in the head with a baton during an Aug. 18, 2020, demonstration outside the Multnomah Building. The indictment marks the first time a Portland police officer has faced prosecution for striking or firing at someone during a protest,Police use chemical irritants and crowd control munitions to disperse protesters during a demonstration in Portland, Ore., Sept. 5, 2020.
Davis said the bureau, including the members of the Rapid Response Team, has been under a"tremendous amount of stress" due to the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, during which he said Portland saw over 150 nights of"sustained civil unrest." In October, Daryl Turner, then-president of the Portland Police Association, the union representing officers, called on the city's mayor and police chief to"stand up and publicly support Police Bureau members who voluntarily serve on the Rapid Response Team," saying the officers were"exhausted and injured" due to the protests.