No action recommended against Salem deputy chief who retired while under investigation
The agency tasked with certifying law enforcement officers and revoking certificates due to misconduct is expected to take no action against a former Salem deputy police chief who retired while under investigation.
The decision comes more than two years after Steve Bellshaw retired and was given $53,000 in severance pay while he was on paid administrative leave pending a misconduct investigation.
The Department of Safety Standards & Training, the state agency responsible for investigating cases involving officer discipline, began an investigation into Bellshaw in 2022.
A memo for the agency's Police Policy Committee's May 16 meeting recommended an administrative closure of the case. If the committee approves the recommendation, no action will be taken against Bellshaw and he can keep his certificate — and possibly be employed by another police department.
His current status in the DPSST database is listed as "inactive."
Police chief requests outside investigation into Bellshaw
According to DPSST records, Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack requested an outside investigation via a memo in November 2021 into policy violations that included untruthfulness by Bellshaw.
"The memo noted that after the Chief of Police worked closely with Bellshaw for a few months, he developed concerns about Bellshaw's integrity and decision making, identifying multiple instances where Bellshaw had been asked questions and gave contradictory information in different settings," DPSST staff said in their report.
Bellshaw oversaw about 35 employees in the support division for 10 years and reported directly to Chief Trevor Womack, who replaced departing Chief Jerry Moore in 2020. His responsibilities included helping develop strategic goals as part of the department’s management team, negotiating labor contracts, and training subordinates.
In November 2021, Bellshaw was placed on paid administrative leave and notified of the misconduct investigation.
Bellshaw was told in a Nov. 24 letter that an external investigator was being sought and he would remain on leave until the investigation was complete.
Bellshaw retires, no outside investigation conducted
An external investigation was never done, according to city officials.
"The City had difficulty in finding an investigator that had both significant experience with public safety employee matters and who had the capacity to take on the work in a timely manner,” city officials said in an email to the Statesman Journal in 2022. “Before the city was able to engage a third party investigator to work on the matter, Mr. Bellshaw retired pursuant to a separation agreement.”
On Feb. 1, 2022, the city signed a separation agreement with Bellshaw stating he "voluntarily retired" from his position, according to the agreement. He was paid $53,500 in severance pay, according to the agreement.
Former city manager Steve Powers signed the separation agreement just weeks before he retired Feb. 28, 2022. The agreement did not go before the City Council.
“The city initiated, but did not complete an investigation prior to Bellshaw’s separation, meaning it did not make any final determination regarding the appropriateness of his conduct,” city spokeswoman Courtney Knox Busch told the Statesman Journal in 2022.
Oregon law prohibits city leaders from releasing information regarding the investigation because it did not lead to discipline.
Womack on Monday declined to comment on the circumstances of Bellshaw's departure.
Bellshaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment made through his lawyer.
DPSST finds "insufficient evidence"
The premature end of Salem's investigation into Bellshaw limited DPSST's examination of the misconduct allegations.
"Based on the preliminary nature of the allegations, there is insufficient evidence to find that Bellshaw was intentionally untruthful," DPSST staff said in their report.
An agency spokesman said the DPSST review was conducted solely using records provided by Salem police, a standard practice for the agency that relies on investigatory documents provided by employers as well as police and court records to review professional standards cases. Bellshaw was not interviewed as part of the investigation.
Without additional context from Bellshaw into his alleged statements, DPSST staff said they were unable to find sufficient evidence to support a violation of the department's moral fitness standards.
The DPSST memo listed the following as documents they considered:
Personnel action form
Separation agreement
Nov. 23, 2021 memo
Administrative leave documentation
Salem Police asserted public records exemption laws to prevent DPSST from disclosing to the public the records used in the investigation.
Requests to the city and Salem Police Department for records for the investigation by the Statesman Journal were denied except for the general release of the agreement and two letters detailing his paid leave.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: No action recommended against former Salem deputy police chief
