Robert Day, a longtime leader in the Portland Police Bureau who retired in 2019, speaks at a press conference at Portland City Hall on Sept. 20, 2023.
Alex Zielinski / OPB
It turns out, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wants interim Police Chief Bob Day to stay in office permanently.
“Chief Day has more than met my expectations when I appointed him as Interim Chief only a few short months ago,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler in an emailed statement. “He has proven the value of his diverse experience, his commitment to finding public safety solutions that serve the community and the membership of the bureau, and a level of positivity that our city needs right now.”
Day came out of retirement six months ago after former Chief Chuck Lovell announced he wanted a lesser role in the bureau. Day’s role as the city’s permanent police chief is effective immediately.
Day has a long history with the Portland Police Bureau. After joining the force in 1990, he climbed the ranks to eventually lead several departments, including the bureau’s training division and crowd management teams. He retired in 2019. But, after Lovell stepped down in September, Day stepped back in.
At the time, Wheeler said he was appointing Day on an interim basis to allow the next mayor to recruit and hire a permanent chief when they enter office in January 2025.
“Experience shows us that a full recruitment would take the better part of a year and it should be aligned with the new mayor’s priorities and the communities and with the community’s involvement,” Wheeler said in September at a press conference announcing Lovell’s new role and Day’s appointment.
A press release from the mayor’s office released Friday indicates a change of heart. Now, Wheeler says keeping Day in the chief’s office will provide a “solid foundation” for the bureau to work toward longer-term goals, like advancing PPB’s settlement agreement with the US Department of Justice and establishing the city’s new police oversight board.
“This permanent appointment is a reflection of the confidence and hopefulness that Chief Day has inspired about Portland’s resiliency,” the release reads.
Day entered the bureau as the city’s record-high homicide and violent crime rates began to drop, and many in the community and government see his leadership as key to keeping the bureau on stable footing.
Wheeler’s office did not immediately respond to a question from OPB asking whether the city conducted a thorough recruitment process before deciding to make Day’s job permanent.
In September, Day said he was uninterested in serving as police chief long-term. At the time, he said he saw his job, in part, being responsible for helping the city recruit its next permanent chief in 2025. He also joked about wanting to return to a low-stress retirement, where he could focus on golf and traveling.
Now, Day said that his “vision and goals have not changed” since he took the job, despite accepting the permanent job.
“I remain committed to strengthening the Portland Police Bureau and improving public safety in the city I love,” Day said in a statement.