Portland police are asking for the public’s help to track down a woman suspected of assaulting someone near the ICE building in the city’s South Portland neighborhood. The incident happened just before 8:45 p.m. on a Tuesday evening, and it unfolded during a gathering outside the immigration facility.
A dialogue liaison officer, or DLO—a sworn Portland police officer trained to keep things calm and create a safe space for protesters—was watching the crowd when someone flagged him down about the assault. He spotted the suspect, a white woman with a large septum nose piercing, wearing a black mask and carrying a backpack. She also had on cargo pants, based on police photos.
The DLO tried to approach her calmly to hear her side of the story. But she kept walking, so he told her she was being detained. When she refused to stop and ran off, he called for backup. By around 9 p.m., patrol officers arrived, talked to the victim, and launched an investigation.
DLOs play a special role in Portland. They’re not there to make arrests or enforce laws directly; instead, they focus on building trust with protesters. This program started after the intense 2020 protests in the city, sparked by events like the George Floyd killing. The goal? Help de-escalate situations and avoid turning gatherings into bigger conflicts.
One standout DLO, Officer Jessica Ruch, shared her thoughts on the city’s police website. She grew up attending protests, seeing them as a way to celebrate community values. “We don’t have a riot squad anymore—that’s an old-school approach,” Ruch wrote in a May 2025 post. “It assumes all protesters think the same. Now, we use a rapid response team for quick fixes in dangerous spots, like civil unrest or disasters. They step in, handle it, and step out. We don’t want to come across as the bad guys.”
Ruch also recalled her worries during the 2020 unrest, especially the fear of drivers intentionally plowing into crowds of protesters. The Portland Police Bureau created DLOs to better connect with groups and figure out what they need for peaceful events.
For now, detectives in the Major Crimes Unit are handling the assault case. Police haven’t shared details about what exactly happened in the attack. But officials say they keep investigating crimes like this and pass strong cases to the Multnomah County District Attorney for charges. Sometimes, with high tensions at the scene, arrests don’t happen right away—they come later when it’s safer.
If you have any tips on the suspect, Portland police urge you to come forward. The bureau didn’t immediately respond to requests for more comment.
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