From: UNDERHILL Rod
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 2:09 PM
To: #DA ALL STAFF
Subject: Announcement
All,
I had an important conversation with District Attorney-Elect Mike Schmidt yesterday and informed him
that, after careful consideration, I will retire as your Multnomah County District Attorney effective July
31, 2020. This decision – both difficult and necessary – is intended to put the interests of this office and
our community first and follows significant personal and professional reflection.
We are in the midst of what I hope and believe will be monumental and lasting societal change. As
human beings and as public servants, we must reject racism, bigotry, and hatred. George Floyd, Ahmaud
Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others should not have had to die to cause us to collectively rise up
and shout from our streets that black lives matter and to demand essential and lasting systemic change.
During my tenure as District Attorney, we have sought to make intentional changes to our public safety
system to reduce disparate impacts on our black community. It is time to do much more. That change
will require immediate action, coupled with long-term strategy and vision to ensure successful,
meaningful and lasting implementation. And while I welcome that challenge and that change, I must be
honest with myself and with you. My term expires in six months; it would be shortsighted of me and
unfair to the office and our community to spend my remaining time advocating for and enacting that
strategic vision, and then looking to DA-Elect Schmidt to begin that process anew, and potentially
differently, in January. I have always been guided by the principle of doing what is right for our
community and putting the office in that position would not be right.
This decision did not come easily for me, but it is time. As I reflect on my three decades of public service,
I could not be more proud. Together, we have celebrated our achievements on behalf of crime victims
individually and without fanfare and it is those achievements, and others, that will stick with me the
most. Watching this office grow, getting to know each of you and your families, and seeing each of you
reach new professional and personal heights, have been the best parts of working in this office for the
last 32 years.
The future of this office is bright. DA-Elect Schmidt deserves and will need your support. I recognize that
this accelerated timeline for my retirement will place additional stress on him and on many of you. I
promised DA-Elect Schmidt that I will do everything I can to assist in ensuring a smooth transition and I
know, based on your individual and collective work ethic and commitment to community service, that
you will do the same. In that regard, my message to DA-Elect Schmidt has been clear: he is fortunate to
be elected to lead an office full of such deeply talented and dedicated attorneys and staff who, each
minute of each day, demand a culture of fairness and professionalism and who share a commitment
toward justice and equity.
Looking forward, I also spoke yesterday with Governor Brown and recommended that she appoint DAElect Schmidt to serve as district attorney for the remainder of my term and effective August 1st. In the
meantime, there is still work to be done. We will prioritize that work and get it done enthusiastically,

 professionally, and ethically. We will continue to support and advocate for crime victims and we will do
everything possible to ensure our public safety system remains open and equitable to everyone.
I count my blessings each day that I have had the good fortune to spend my career working in and then
being elected to lead the best law firm in the State of Oregon. I want to personally thank each of you for
your passion and dedication. You have made a difference in our community and I know that you will
continue to do so in the future.
Respectfully,
Rod