By Police1 Staff
PORTLAND, Ore. — An investigation of the police chief and his executive assistant is underway after the assistant allegedly signed in the chief to a training session he never attended.
According to the Oregonian, Police Chief Mike Marshman and his executive assistant, Lt. Mike Leasure, were placed on paid administrative leave on March 24 as the city investigates. Marshman did not confirm what led to the investigation.
The command staff training regarded the use of the Employee Information System, which is used to identify at-risk employees who are flagged by high numbers of complaints and patterns of excessive use of force. The system was a part of a settlement the city reached with the U.S. Department of Justice after a 2012 investigation that uncovered excessive use of force against mentally ill people.
An anonymous source reported the chief’s lack of attendance to internal affairs, which then notified the Independent Police Review Division, the publication reported.
Marshman told KOIN that he is “committed to full transparency so everyone has access to the facts.”
“These processes apply to me as much as they do to every member of the Bureau,” he said. “Regardless of rank, everyone should be accountable and it starts with me.”
Officials announced Monday they are conducting a nationwide search for a police chief after Marshman was put on leave.
Mayor Ted Wheeler told KATU they initially wanted to have a private search firm look for candidates, but they decided to conduct the search themselves.
“The process is well underway. We’ve already met with various stakeholders in the community to talk about what sorts of attributes they would like to see the police chief have,” he said.
Wheeler said they plan to begin taking applications in May and hope to make an offer by the end of July.
According to KOIN, Assistant Chief Chris Davis is currently serving as acting chief.