At 2:37PM this afternoon I received an email from Mayor Sam Adams announcing that “effective immediately” Police Chief Rosie Sizer had resigned as the Police Chief of the city of Portland. Within the same email I was confronted with a sort of admission of the problems that have plagued the Portland Police and the Community over recent encounters between the Police and vulnerable citizens of Portland.Adams says,
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of the courageous few who wear the badge, the relationship between the citizens of Portland and their police officers is not what it needs to be. Too many Portlanders express concern about their own safety–not because of crime, but rather fear of their own police force.”
Adams also spoke on the current conditions of the role that police have taken up in response to budget woes,
“As police commissioner, my first charge is to establish the bureau leadership necessary to get us back on track. Like it or not, our social safety net has been disintegrating for years. The City of Portland slowly–but surely–finds itself inheriting more and more of the community’s social service needs. The fact is, our 1200 officers on the street have become our community’s social service first-responders.”
This email was beginning to sound a lot like an apology.
However, soon after this brief introduction to the current state of the PPD, there was an immediate shift to the future. Adams also announced the fact that he was taking on the role of Police Commissioner, having taken it away from Dan Saltzman. In addition, Mayor Sam Adams announced the name of the new Police Chief, Michael C. Reese,
“My incoming police chief understands this reality better than perhaps anybody. More importantly, he is exceedingly well prepared to address this reality.
It is my great honor to introduce you to the City of Portland’s next police chief, Michael C. Reese. We call him Mike.?”
Following the warm introduction, Mayor Adams then introduced Mike to the public through a brief history,
From 2006-2009 Mike was the Central Precinct Commander for the Bureau. In this demanding assignment, he helped lead the expansion of the Service Coordination Team; was the incident commander for numerous high-profile public events; helped formulate progressive policies for the Police Bureau and the City of Portland on complex issues involving homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness; and led a collaborative public-private effort that reduced crime by 35% in downtown Portland.
Mike has served as the Captain of the Drugs and Vice Division where he oversaw successful investigations that culminated in the arrest and conviction of numerous members of illegal drug organizations. He worked in a wide variety of leadership assignments with the Bureau including the Tactical Operations Division, the Transit Police Division, North Precinct, and the Youth Gun Anti-Violence Task Force. He began his law enforcement career as a Multnomah County Deputy Sheriff where he served on the acclaimed Safety Action Teams in Columbia Villa, Rockwood and David Douglas. Mike transferred to the Portland Police Bureau in 1994 when mid-Multnomah County was annexed to the City of Portland.
It can be assumed that Michael C. Reese was hired as a result of Rosie Sizer. Whether it was becuase of a complete failure of leadership or it was the issues of budgetary politics, Michael C. Reese is a local boy. As one of my Texas friends likes to say, “Local is blood.” It would see mt o be to me that Sam Adams is hiring someone who he can trust. This makes the retaking of power over the PPD very important. I am very interested in what awaits the city of Portland after June!
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