The search for Portland’s next police chief is officially underway, as the job posting went live last week.
The city manager and police chief positions are currently filled by interim appointments, Danielle West and F. Heath Gorham, respectively. The police chief is appointed by the city manager.
A spokesperson for the police department said Gorham is on vacation, and declined to say whether he would apply for the permanent position.
The city’s police chief is in charge of overseeing a department with a $15 million budget, 160 officers and 27 civilian staff members. The chief also oversees the regional communications and dispatch center.
The department has seen fairly regular turnover at the chief level, as Gorham is now the fourth person to hold the role since 2018. He was appointed in November 2021 on an interim basis following the abrupt resignation of former Chief Frank Clark in the same month West was appointed interim city manager.
West initially held off on starting the search for a permanent chief, believing it should fall to the next permanent city manager, and not an interim. She began the process for finding a new police chief last summer, working with the firm GovHR on the search process.
The initial review of applications will begin on March 20. The position pays between $135,000 to $175,000.
