PORTLAND — Portland Assistant Police Chief Michael Sauschuck will serve as interim chief when James Craig leaves for his new job in Cincinnati in about a month.

Craig said at a news conference this afternoon that he is scheduled to start in Cincinnati on  Aug. 2.

Sauschuck, currently second in command, said after the news conference that he would be acting as interim chief while the city interviews candidates to head the department.

Craig said the Portland department already has two ideal candidates on the staff, referring to Sauschuck and Cmdr. Vern Malloch.

10:05 a.m.

PORTLAND — Portland Police Chief James Craig has been hired as chief of the Cincinnati Police Department.

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Craig will start his new job in about a month, according to Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr.

Craig has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference to discuss his departure.

Dohoney chose Craig from a field of 40 candidates from across the country.

“When I looked at his wide-ranging and successful experience as a front line commander, his executive management skills, and proven commitment to partnership and community building, I was confident choosing him as Chief,” Dohoney said in a statement announcing his selection.

“He has a track record of using the latest technologies and police practices that will help meet Cincinnati’s complex challenges, and he will bring his drive for results to better the department and the community,” Dohoney said.

Craig has been in Portland for two years after retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department. He made it clear recently he was looking to lead a larger department.

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Cincinnati’s police force has 1,057 officers compared to Portland’s 160.

Craig will be Cincinnati’s first African-American chief, as he was in Portland, and the first chief chosen from outside the Cincinnati Police Department, according to published reports.

 

 

 


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