Bob Day permanently named Portland police chief by Mayor Wheeler

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Interim Police Chief Bob Day has officially been appointed Police Chief, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Friday.

Day replaced Chief Chuck Lovell in October 2023 after previously retiring from the force in 2019. Since Day took on the role on an interim basis, Wheeler said he has demonstrated strong leadership and a clear vision for the future, leading to his permanent appointment.

KOIN 6 News was the only media outlet to have a one-on-one with Day immediately after the appointment. He sat down with KOIN 6’s Political Director Ken Boddie. In the interview, Day said he decided to take on this job permanently to essentially take care of unfinished business.

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This comes at a time when the city is moving to a new form of government. There are also elections coming up and possible protests. Both Day and Wheeler agreed to make the chief’s position permanent in order to bring stability to the Portland Police Bureau during a potentially volatile time for the city.

“Some of the challenges that we’re facing probably require a little bit more time than I knew at the beginning,” Day said. “We’re making some traction and some progress, which is of course encouraging, and then also I think the city is heading towards — I think there’s a lot of uncertainty, not only into the fall, but into our new form of government in 2025, and so providing that stability was important both to the city and the police bureau.”

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In a release, Wheeler said ensuring stability was one of the top reasons he decided to make Day’s position as chief permanent.

“Chief Day has more than met my expectations when I appointed him as Interim Chief only a few short months ago,” Wheeler said. “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. I have no doubt that he will accomplish great things as PPB’s permanent chief.”

The appointment is effective immediately.

Other issues Day hopes to shepherd as chief include overseeing street officers as a reversal of Measure 110’s drug decriminalization law commences and the implementation of a new crowd control unit ahead of elections.

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Candace Avalos, a current city council candidate who was on the city charter commission that changed Portland’s form of government, questions why Day was made permanent chief at this particular moment.

“Yeah, I’m a little disappointed to hear that it has been made permanent. I think that is denying the new council an opportunity to maybe shape the direction of the police bureau,” Avalos said.

Both Wheeler and Day said the new mayor can still recruit a new police chief if they decide to do so. As for Wheeler, he has decided not to seek re-election.

Day originally joined PPB in 1990 and has led multiple teams including the Training Division, Critical Incident Command, Crowd Management and the Operations Branch. As for former Chief Lovell, who stepped down in that role, he has taken on a community engagement position within PPB.

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