Deputized troopers may snarl MultCo’s protest prosecution plans
https://www.koin.com/news/protests/oregon-state-police-troopers-federally-deputized-amid-renewed-portland-protest-response/PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More and more questions have accumulated following the announcement that Oregon State Police troopers had been deputized by U.S. Marshals.
The move, which was made in response to the growing unrest in Portland, means a deputized OSP trooper can arrest someone for a federal crime and turn the case over to a federal prosecutor instead of a state prosecutor.
Doing so would essentially override Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Shmidt’s policy of limited prosecution for certain charges related to the ongoing protests. Last month, Schmidt’s office announced charges such as Interfering with a Police Officer or Criminal Trespass would not be prosecuted and people arrested for those crimes would be quickly released.
Lewis & Clark Law Professor Tung Yin said the workaround could spell more federal crimes coming out of the protests.
“Even if DA Mike Schmidt is taking a hands off approach of, ‘Well, I’m not going to prosecute that case,’ that person, theoretically, could face federal charges,” said Yin.
