The Springfield Police Department has announced its new chief. And to many, Andrew Shearer is already a familiar face in the area.
Shearer has served almost a year already as interim chief to the SPD. And he served with the Portland Police Bureau for nearly three decades, before retiring in 2020.
Shearer will helm a department steeped in controversy. A sex scandal, the resignation of the previous chief, and a lawsuit targeting the SPD’s handling of protesters in 2020 will mean rebuilding community trust and changing the internal culture.
“Anytime you talk about culture, that’s something that takes a significant amount of time, it’s not something that happens overnight,” Shearer told KLCC. “But the way you accomplish that, you have to have a healthy organization, and you do that by providing best practices in terms of policy, best practices in terms of training, best practices in terms of accountability for the people that work within that organization.”
Shearer added that at the core of the Springfield Police Department are “tremendous men and women” who the people of Springfield “can be very proud of.”
Shearer said he’s honored to work with the Springfield community and its partners, including the Springfield Police Advisory Committee and the Springfield City Council.
“I am a leader that’s authentic, that I’m biased towards action, and that I’m someone willing to come and step into this role with the goal in mind of helping the people of the community get the police service that they deserve.”
Shearer will be formally sworn in on March 28. The City of Springfield invites community members to share their thoughts with Shearer through an online survey until March 29: https://springfield-or.gov/city/focus-on/welcome-springfield-police-chief-andrew-shearer/ Questions are: “What do you think is important for Chief Shearer to know about serving your Ward/Springfield? Other thoughts you want to share with Springfield’s Police Chief?”
Community members are welcome to participate anonymously.
Other events include upcoming “Coffee with the Chief” forums.
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