Questions loom about police chief’s future

Possible clash between Rosie Sizer and Commissioner Leonard sparks speculation, concern

By Nick Budnick

The Portland Tribune, Jul 28, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (25 Reader comments)

Friction between Commissioner Randy Leonard and Police Chief Rosie Sizer may jeopardize the likelihood that incoming Mayor Sam Adams will name Leonard police commissioner.

“At this point it’s clear that I can’t work with Chief Sizer,” Leonard told the Portland Tribune on Monday afternoon, noting that the chief is selected by the mayor under the City Charter.

The question of whether he’d want the job “with her there” is “something I would ponder seriously,” he said.

His statement is significant because Leonard, who has been asked to conduct a review of the city’s public safety system by Adams, has widely been expected to be the next commissioner to oversee the Portland Police Bureau.

However, there has been increasing tension between Leonard and Sizer. More than a week ago, he apologized to Sizer for leaving her off a committee he’d named to conduct the public safety study. And last week, citing concerns from Sizer, he canceled his plans to attend officer roll calls.

On Monday, reflecting an internal buzz among Sizer supporters, an Oregonian editorial voiced support for Sizer and urged Adams to keep the police in his portfolio as mayors usually do. The editorial did not name Leonard, but he linked it to “the pushback I’ve gotten from Chief Sizer.”

He added, “She has been very active in talking to the mayor and Commissioner Adams and others about her opposition to me potentially being the police commissioner.”

Sizer, who is on vacation, did not respond to Portland Tribune requests for comment. However, her supporters have expressed concern that Leonard has been undermining Sizer’s authority. Speaking privately, they cite public statements by Leonard that the management and culture of the bureau need a major shakeup. Moreover, the bureau grapevine has it that officers who’ve met with him predict “heads would roll” if he is named commissioner.

Adams, meanwhile, declined to comment directly on the friction, saying that he supports Sizer as well as Leonard in his attempts to study the police bureau as Adams asked.

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