Portland police chief placed on leave by mayor

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland’s police chief has been placed on administrative leave by the city’s mayor.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports ( https://bit.ly/2ngE70J ) Chief Mike Marshman was placed on leave by Mayor Ted Wheler late Friday. Marshman’s executive assistant, Lt. Michael Leasure, also was placed on leave.

The mayor’s office offered no details of why the two are under investigation. The mayor’s spokesman said in a statement that Wheeler hoped the situation would be resolved quickly.

Marshman, 50, said he received a call Friday afternoon from the mayor’s chief of staff. He said he’s under a gag order and couldn’t speak about the investigation. He said he, too, hoped things would be resolved soon and that “internal integrity is truly very important to me.”

Constantin Severe, head of the city’s Independent Police Review Division, said the issue was “an internal bureau matter.”