PORTLAND, Ore. — The City of Portland backtracked Wednesday on a job offer to a candidate for a newly created position in the Portland Police Bureau, one that was intended to bring greater civilian oversight into how officers are trained.
The position, referred to as an academic training director or civilian "dean of training," is one current stipulation of a City of Portland settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) first reached in 2013. The original agreement has evolved in the years since, after DOJ determinations that Portland was not in compliance.
According the Portland Police Bureau, the civilian dean position was floated internally several years ago, but did not become a reality until the agency received grant funding and the idea was incorporated into the DOJ settlement agreement.
On Friday, PPB announced that it had chosen Dr. Thomas Datro to be civilian dean of training at PPB after "an extensive hiring process." Datro got his Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California, earned a Master's in Public Administration from California State University at Northridge and a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice Management from Union Institute and University.
Datro is currently a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, and has worked in the LAPD's training division since 2017 alongside the agency's own dean of training. PPB indicated that he had 20 years of law enforcement experience.
"I was deeply impressed with Dr. Datro and believe adding him into this new position is an integral part of continuing our innovative reform work," said PPB Chief Chuck Lovell in Friday's statement. "PPB has been on the forefront of cutting-edge police training and we look forward to Dr. Datro contributing to these ongoing efforts."
"Dr. Datro was chosen after a rigorous selection process that included input from community members and Council offices," Mayor Ted Wheeler said. "This newly appointed position fits with my vision to Refocus, Reform and Restaff community safety in the City of Portland and is in alignment with the settlement agreement between the City and the U.S. Department of Justice."
PPB's statement on Friday said that Datro had accepted the position, but it would be contingent on a background investigation.
By Wednesday afternoon, PPB had reversed course — announcing that the city had withdrawn its conditional offer of employment to Datro and would be restarting the recruitment process as soon as possible.
A spokesperson for Mayor Ted Wheeler's office said that they could not comment further "because it is a personnel matter."
In a new court filing on Wednesday responding to the DOJ's sixth periodic compliance assessment report in the settlement case, city attorneys provided little more in the way of detail.
"The City went through the recruitment process for PPB’s 'Dean of Training.' Unfortunately, the City will have to start the process over again and is committed to restarting it as quickly as possible," the City of Portland said. "In addition to the Dean recruitment, the Bureau posted for an Instruction and Curriculum Design Specialist to support the Training Dean and the Captain of the Training Division."
PPB said last week that it had considered 18 applicants for the position, choosing Datro after a hiring process that involved "sworn and professional staff members, Chief's Office, staff from elected officials, community members, and another law enforcement civilian dean from a major city."
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