PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland's new Chief of Police, Bob Day, was officially sworn in Wednesday morning and stepped into the top job at the Portland Police Bureau. The ceremony is typically conducted by staff from the city auditor's office, but in this case it was outgoing Chief Chuck Lovell who administered the oath of office to his successor.
Lovell declared his intent to step down as chief earlier this month, although he will remain with PPB and play a leading role in the bureau's community engagement efforts. Mayor Ted Wheeler, who also serves as police commissioner, announced that Day would come out of retirement to serve as interim chief until 2025. Wheeler has publicly ruled out running for reelection next year, and he said the hiring of a new permanent chief should be left up to the city's next mayor.
Day retired in 2019 after a 29-year career at PPB that spanned a variety of roles. Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday, Wheeler praised Day's record and experience and said he "possesses an unwavering belief in thinking outside the box" when it comes to "reimagining how police can be a force for greater good in the Portland area."
When asked on Wednesday about his first priority, Day said it would be to listen. He said the bureau and the city have changed in the four years since his retirement and he needs to catch up, but added that he wants to work with city leaders, the community and bureau staff to "really restore some of this confidence that we need to have in each other, as well as in the role of public safety in this environment."
He didn't delve into the changes he plans to make at the bureau or any strategies he plans to employ to address some of the city's biggest issues, saying that he didn't want to start "throwing ideas out" and "get sort of false hopes up when I can't deliver."
"I want to be able to deliver on some of those goals and missions, so that's why I've got to get more information on the front end, but I definitely have a variety of ideas and suggestions for the mayor," he said, adding that he and Wheeler planned to meet later in the day.
"I believe in really short order, we're going to be coming back to you with some things that we can talk about more globally," he said.