The head of a team of Chicago academics being paid to watchdog Portland's police reform says he's not sure whether he'll hire a new person to be the team's "ears on the ground," after former state Chief Justice Paul De Muniz resigned for health reasons this week.

Following a sometimes-tense meeting with community members last night, Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum, a criminology professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, told the Mercury he's still trying to figure out whether De Muniz should be replaced.

"It's not clear whether we're gonna fill that role," he said, noting he and colleague Amy Watson plan to be on hand for periodic meetings of the citizen board also looking into police reform. "We can chair the meetings."

Rosenbaum made clear that a decision hasn't been made whether to replace De Muniz. But if the former justice's seat goes empty, it could lead to pushback. Both Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Amanda Fritz have said Rosenbaum's team has to find a suitable replacement.

"We do need to engage another local leader," Fritz told the Mercury on Thursday morning. "Certainly it's the COCL's choice" who that is.

In November, Rosenbaum, whose official title in an agreement with the city is Compliance Officer/Community Liaison (COCL), won a five-year, $1.57 million contract to make sure cops are abiding by the terms of a 2012 settlement with the US Department of Justice. The DOJ sued the city after an investigation found Portland police had a habit of beating mentally ill people.

But Rosenbaum—an unquestioned expert on police reform who's worked in cities throughout the country, and who promised to bring along a team of similarly qualified researchers—wasn't the clear favorite for that job. Members of a selection committee were troubled by the fact none of the researchers were based in Portland.

That's where De Muniz came in. In announcing the hiring of Rosenbaum, Hales and Fritz said their concerns were allayed by having a respected Oregonian on the ground to hear the public's concerns.

"I understand that fear and concern that experts from somewhere else might not have the grounding in Portland that's needed for this work," Hales said at the time. "That’s why the critical importance of Paul De Muniz. He'll provide that link to the community, that deep understanding of Portland."

Under the COCL contract, De Muniz was named the team's "Director of Community Engagement," and was to earn $75,000. Under the terms of the agreement, De Muniz was required to be in Portland two or three days a week (he works in Salem) for the first six months, and once a week after that. Records show the former judge was active, meeting with city officials and visiting community centers. But his tenure also drew criticism when he took offices in a city-owned building that houses the police bureau's traffic division.

Rosenbaum says there's no timeline for a decision on whether he'll replace De Muniz. But he says he views the 20-member Community Oversight Advisory Board (COAB)—a panel of citizens and police—as the team's "primary liaison to the community."

So far, the COCL's relationship to that group has been strained.

At last night's COAB meeting, Rosenbaum and city officials faced harsh feelings from members who say they've been set up to fail. Former State Sen. Avel Gordly demanded an apology from the Portland City Attorney's Office, noting that the group—a collection of experts, advocates, and community members from various arenas—had never been fully briefed on the city's 77-page settlement with the federal government.

"We're working with an uneven understanding of the settlement agreement," Gordly said. "It's mind boggling, really."

Ellen Osoinach, a deputy city attorney, apologized.