| Office | Chief of the Springfield Police Department |
|---|---|
| 1blankname | Mayor |
| 1namedata | Sean VanGordon |
| Predecessor | Andrew Shearer |
| Term start | March 17, 2025 |
| Office 1 | 49th Chief of the Portland Police Bureau |
| 1blankname 1 | Mayor |
| 1namedata 1 | Ted Wheeler |
| Predecessor 1 | Danielle Outlaw |
| Successor 1 | Chuck Lovell |
| Term start 1 | December 31, 2019 |
| Term end 1 | June 8, 2020 |
| Birth date | 1973 or 1974 (age 45-46) |
| Birth place | Montana |
Jami L. Resch is an American police officer currently serving as chief of the Springfield, Oregon Police Department.[1] She previously served as chief of the Portland Police Bureau from December 31, 2019, until June 8, 2020.[2]
Early life and education
Resch was born in Montana, and moved to the Beaverton area early in her life. She attended Beaverton High School.[3] She went on to graduate from the University of Portland in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in allied health and a minor in psychology.[4]
Career
Resch, who originally wanted to become a doctor, joined the Portland Police Bureau in 1999 in a recruiting push that hired 80 new officers.[3] 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.[5]
On December 30, 2019 Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced the resignation of Resch's predecessor, Danielle Outlaw; he named Resch as her replacement in the same announcement.[6] Resch was sworn in the following day.[3][5] 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.[7] She is the 49th person to serve as chief.[5]
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 was met with controversy.[8]
In 2023, Resch joined the Springfield Police Department and was sworn in as interim chief of police on March 17, 2025 after Andrew Shearer resigned, citing new opportunities.[9][10]
References
- ^ Staff, News (2025-03-11). "Springfield to swear in Jamie Resch as interim police chief". KVAL. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ "Portland Police Chief Steps Down Amid Continuing Protests". opb. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ Ellis, Rebecca (6 January 2020). "New Portland Police Chief Jami Resch Introduces Herself". OPB News. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived 6 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "University of Portland alumna Jami Resch '96 named Portland Police Chief". University of Portland. University of Portland. 3 January 2020. Archived 8 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Chief Jami Resch - Biography". The City of Portland, Oregon. Archived 1 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Crombie, Noelle (30 December 2019). "Portland Police Bureau insider Jami Resch picked for top job". The Oregonian. Oregonian Media Group. Archived 31 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ Riski, Tess (6 January 2020). "Portland Mayor Defends Choice to Promote New Police Chief Jami Resch". Willamette Week. Mark Zusman. Archived 7 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Bernstein, Maxine (2020-06-08). "Jami Resch steps down as Portland police chief, African American lieutenant Chuck Lovell to fill the job". The Oregonian. Archived 2020-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- ^ Staff, News (2025-03-17). "Springfield's first female police chief sworn in, marking historic leadership change". KMTR. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ Kochanski, Haleigh. "Springfield Police Chief Andrew Shearer to resign, citing new opportunities". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 2025-04-15.