Tigard police brief council on organized retail theft operation; chief confirms officer convicted and no longer employed

Tigard — Police Chief Jamie McDonald briefed the Tigard City Council on a recent organized retail theft operation and on personnel matters after an officer pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

Chief McDonald said the department participated in a coordinated county operation funded in part by a district attorney grant aimed at addressing organized retail theft. He told the council that many of the incidents involved lower‑level shoplifting and some juveniles; those arrests and follow‑ups are part of an effort to reduce repeat offending.

McDonald also disclosed the department’s response to a criminal case involving a sworn officer. "He is no longer an employee of the city," McDonald said, and added the department has begun a review of practices. "As your police chief, your police department is going to examine everything around this to make sure that we don't have a problem internally and make sure that if we do identify something that is an ongoing issue, that it's going to be corrected," he said.

The chief said some case details are not public but committed to providing answers to councilors when appropriate. He invited questions about enforcement activity or department practices; none were raised during the meeting segment reporting these updates.

No formal council action was taken on the report; the comments were presented as part of the city manager’s update to inform the council and the public.