Oregon Secretary of State Won’t Investigate Police Chief

State office declines investigation

Oregon’s secretary of state will not investigate statements attributed to a police chief. The decision concerns whether the secretary of state’s office will examine the statements; it does not, by itself, establish whether the statements were accurate or appropriate.

The immediate procedural result is limited: The secretary of state’s office will not open its own inquiry into the matter. An investigation could involve gathering records, reviewing applicable rules or interviewing people, but none of those steps will be undertaken by that office as part of an investigation.

The decision is not directly connected to a candidate, political race or election. No candidate positions are at issue. The matter instead falls under public safety because it concerns statements attributed to a police official and the state office’s decision not to review them.

What the decision means

A decision not to investigate is different from a finding reached after an investigation. It does not amount to a determination about the substance of the police chief’s statements, and it does not resolve any broader questions raised by them.

The scope of the development is the secretary of state’s role. The office has declined to use its investigative process in this matter, leaving the statements without an inquiry by that state office. Any separate review would be a different process and would require action by another body with authority to examine the issue.

For voters, the key distinction is procedural: This is a decision about whether a state office will investigate, not an election decision or a judgment involving candidates.