User:BradyAkinsWR303/Chuck Lovell

Chuck Lovell

Career with Portland Police Department

Lovell has served on the Portland Police Department since May 23, 2002, where he served the role of officer for nine years. While in that role, Lovell performed duties as an instructor for Gang Resistance Education and Training, was a School Resource Officer, and additionally served on the Crisis Negotiation Team.

It was in 2011 when Lovell was promoted within the Portland Police Force to the role of Sergeant. In addition to working as a Patrol Shift Supervisor for the department, Lovell’s new role within the department saw him working with the Human Trafficking and Property Crimes Detail-- in addition to overseeing the department’s recruitment team, responsible for the hiring of new candidates.

Lovell held the title of Sergeant for six years, before being promoted within the Portland Police Force once again to the role of Lieutenant. Lovell was additionally assigned to serve as the Adjutant to Danielle Outlaw, the Chief of Police for the Portland Police Department in 2017. During Lovell’s time as Lieutenant, he oversaw the department’s Behavioral Health Unit, a team of professional staff seeking to aid those in the Portland community afflicted with issues of mental health and addiction.

Following the resignation of former Chief of Police Jami Resch on June 11, 2020, Lovell was appointed to fill the role, and has been serving in the role ever since.

Dates of Rank with Portland PD

Entry Level Officer: 2002

School Resource Officer: 2007

Sergeant: 2011

Lieutenant: 2017

Captain & Chief: 2020

Lovell's promotion to Chief

After the death of George Floyd, victim of police brutality, the citizens of Portland, Oregon grew outraged due to racial injustice. Jamie Resch, Police Chief during the Portland Protests, stepped down and asked Chuck Lovell to replace her. This was prompted by criticism for the public for having an all-White command staff and the way she handled the Portland Riots. Lovell has received extensive training and has served in many positions that serve the community preparing him for his role as Chief during a time when social justice is heavily involved with policing. These roles include Gang Resistance Education and Training, School Resource Officer, and he served on the Crisis Negotiation Team. His role as a police officer has been to serve and protect and Resch believed he would be better suited for the role of a Police Chief navigating times of civil unrest as well as police reforms to reduce racism.

With Lovell's promotion in 2020, he became the fourth Black Chief of Police in the history of the Portland Police Department, with Charles Moose, Derrick Foxworth, and Danielle Outlaw coming before him.

Time as Chief

Lovell has overseen the Portland Police Department since July 2020, during which time the city has seen a number of both peaceful and violent protests in an effort fighting for racial justice and equality.

On September 23, 2020, protests broke out in the city of Portland in response to a Kentucky grand jury’s decision not to charge anyone within the police department for the killing of Breonna Taylor. The Portland Police Department would eventually declare the protest a riot, arresting 13 people and ordering the dispersal of the crowd with threat of “impact weapons and OC munitions.”

The September riot mirrored that of protests throughout the city in July, where the Portland Police Department came under fire for their use of force against civilians participating in those protests.

History of military service

As a young nineteen-year-old adult, Chuck Lovell decided to enlist in the military. He spent a full four-year stint of active duty military service for the United States Air Force, and an additional two years of service in the United States Military Reserve. During his time in the military, Chuck was honored with an Air Force Commendation Medal and an Air Force Achievement Medal with valor. Following his time in the Air Force, Chuck gained work experience in military sales, temporarily working for the federal government.  

Chuck would later pursue a bachelor’s degree from Park University, majoring in criminal justice – a fitting major for a man with his professional military experience and aspirations for law enforcement employment. Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree, Lovell pursued a master’s degree from the University of Charleston with the intention of majoring in strategic leadership. It is unclear whether he has completed his master’s degree, to date. By the time Chuck was twenty-eight years old, he relocated to Portland, Oregon where he would later join the Portland Police Bureau in 2002.

Police awards History

On May 6, 2015, Lovell was awarded a Unit Commendation Medal by the Portland Police Bureau, an award given “to any unit, relief or division whose members, as a group, performed in a manner, which if performed by an individual, would merit recognition in the form of a Commendation Medal, Achievement Medal or Distinguished Service Medal.” Lovell was given the award in recognition for his work with the Crisis Negotiation Team, a group within the Portland Police Department that “intervene in traumatic situations which impact individuals, families, and the community at large.”

Additionally, Lovell is a recipient of the Achievement Medal, given by the Community/Police Relations Committee.

2006 Lawsuit

In 2006, Lovell was involved in a lawsuit levied by Abie Ilias, at the time an 18-year old senior at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon. Ilias’ lawsuit claimed that Lovell, along with fellow officer Ron Cash and the Dean of Students at Jefferson High School, Donald Johnson, had violated the plaintiff’s First and Fourth Amendment rights.

Ilias claimed that, while Lovell was serving in his role as a School Resource Officer, that she was subjected to “unreasonable seizure and detention” on March 2, 2006, when Johnson objected to Ilias’ attire, leading to a verbal altercation that escalated and resulted in Lovell and Cash handcuffing Ilias.

According to the Findings and Recommendations analysis from the case, it was determined that “Johnson was in charge of the detention room and gave the order to bring [plaintiff] back to the detention room and make her sit in a chair, which precipitated her handcuffing. Viewed in [plaintiff's] favor, the evidence indicates that the [officers] looked to Johnson for direction, took his direction, and acted to carry out Johnson's order to enforce school disciplinary policies.”

Personal Life

Chuck Lovell knew he wanted to be a police officer from the early age of 12 when he delivered newspapers to roughly 60 people each morning in Upstate New York. He learned the value of community and serving others during his formative years, learning that people act in many different ways. He believed that everyone deserves equal treatment no matter where they come from or how they behave.

Lovell is an avid volunteer serving in the community a mentor in a "Boys to Men'' program and on the board of Lines for Life, a nonprofit crisis call center in Portland that works towards mitigating substance abuse and suicide.

Lovell is not affiliated with any political party.