Mayor Hales Obstructed Probe into Actions of Police Chief Who Shot His Friend, Say Feds

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales obstructed a "fair and expeditious resolution" of a probe into the shooting by then-Police Chief Larry O'Dea of a friend of his while on a hunting trip, according to Justice Department officials overseeing a settlement agreement between the federal government and Portland Police Department.

The investigators were critical of actions taken by Hales and O'Dea and the aftermath of O'Dea's shooting of his friend, saying "tragically, conduct...illustrated PPB's accountability failures."

They also suggested that failures of Mayor Hales were in violation of the settlement agreement that was put in place after a federal investigation concluded that Portland Police used excessive force against people with mental illness.

Investigators concluded that neither Hales - nor several other officials - notified the police bureau's internal affairs unit of the incident and asked for an administrative review, which is "required by the Settlement Agreement."

They also took issue with the fact that O'Dea "told his subordinates would be handled as a private, personal matter. He undercut the usual accountability systems and placed his subordinates in an untenable position."

To make matters worse, investigators concluded, "the city and PPB failed to issue communication restriction orders and failed to collect evidence" prejudicing any Independent Police Review investigation that might happen into "the incident and its aftermath.

"Under the former Chief, PPB failed to consistently apply its own policies on the reporting and investigation of off-duty firearm discharges."

Instead of doing what they were supposed, the investigators pointed out, one city official wrote to O'Dea, telling him, "Don't worry chief we got your back."

Investigators write the actions in this incident, "give rise to the need to determine compliance with" several Portland Police directives including "

• “Police Bureau members, whether on duty or off duty, shall be governed by the reasonable rules of good conduct and behavior, and shall not commit any act tending to bring reproach or discredit upon the Police Bureau or the City of Portland;"

• “Members shall not ... make any written or oral statements which would impair or diminish the orderly and effective operations, supervision, or discipline of the Police Bureau;" and

• “Members will not make any false statements to justify a criminal or traffic charge, or seek to unlawfully influence the outcome of any investigation.”

When the shooting happened in April, O'Dea originally told a responding deputy that his friend had accidentally shot himself, didn't identify himself as a Portland police officer let alone the Chief of Police, and only confessed to what had happened weeks later.

A criminal investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

When Hales announced that O'Dea was being replaced as chief of police, he spent the first few moments of the press conference scolding the press.

“I’ve been very disappointed in the trial by media that has occurred in Chief O’Dea’s incident,” he said. “I’ve asked for Portlanders to wait for the outcome of the official investigations. I’ll continue to wait on passing judgment until I have all the facts."

The mayor has yet to respond to the criticism from the Justice Department.