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Residents urge St. Helens council to appoint acting police chief
Summary
Public commenters at the St. Helens City Council work session urged the council to make Acting Chief Hogue the permanent police chief and criticized the prior hiring process and the prospect of an internal evaluation process.
Several residents urged the St. Helens City Council on March 19 to appoint Acting Chief Hogue as the permanent chief of the St. Helens Police Department rather than pursue an external evaluation.
Dustin King, a former Salem Police Department officer and resident, told the council he had worked with Hogue and called him “an experienced investigator, patrol supervisor, administrator, and leader.” King said Hogue has “over 20 years of experience” and that “there is no need for an evaluation period.”
Another resident, speaking during the public-comment period, described the department’s recent history as having produced “ethical violations and hostile work environments,” and urged the council to move “today to make him the chief.” That commenter also criticized an earlier hiring process that, they said, did not promote from within and led to departures of tenured officers.
The public-comment period is not a time for council dialogue under Oregon open-meetings rules, the council chair said at the start of the session; speakers were given three minutes each. The session record shows no formal council motion or vote on the chief’s appointment during the work session.
Speakers framed their remarks as appeals to the council’s discretion rather than calls tied to a specific agenda item; one commenter also referenced a recent ethics department decision and warned that denying access to executive sessions could carry personal fines for councilors, citing an unspecified decision and enforcement process.
The council did not announce any immediate action during the work session. The agenda for the evening included other items; the council moved to recess to executive session later in the meeting for real-property discussions, exempt records and attorney-client privilege, and consultation with counsel on potential litigation under ORS provisions cited on the record.
The public-comment appeals and the council’s next steps on the police leadership question were not resolved during the work session record provided.
