Portland's mayor on Wednesday returned Chief Mike Marshman to full duty, finding he did not violate bureau directives based on an initial review of an investigation into whether a training log had been fabricated regarding the chief's attendance at a bureau class.

Mayor Ted Wheeler had placed Marshman and his executive assistant, Lt. Mike Leasure, on paid administrative leave on March 24 pending an investigation into the complaint.

The investigation resulted from two allegations: that Marshman had directed Leasure to sign an attendance sheet on the chief's behalf at a training the chief didn't attend, and that statements made by Leasure and Marshman during the inquiry did not match, raising a question as to who was telling the truth.

The training was for supervisors on the use of the bureau's Employee Information System, a computer-based system intended to identify at-risk employees who have a high number of complaints or a pattern of excessive use of force. Improving use of the system has been a requirement under the city's settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Marshman served as the Justice Department's liaison to the police bureau before former Mayor Charlie Hales named him chief in late June.

Lt. Mike Leasure

According to Leasure's initial interview with an investigator, the chief had told him to sign him in on an attendance roster because he would be late to the class, and so Leasure did sign the chief's name on the roster.

Marshman, though, told an investigator he did not tell Leasure to sign him in.

An initial inquiry found Marshman didn't attend the training, but whether he directed a subordinate to sign his name as having attended became the subject of a further inquiry into truthfulness, according to Anna Kanwit, the city's human resources director.

Kanwit advised the mayor on March 24 to put Marshman and his executive assistant on paid leave because of the discrepancies between the interviews of Leasure and Marshman. An allegation of untruthfulness, if proven, would warrant termination, she advised the mayor.

In a subsequent interview with the Independent Police Review Division, Leasure changed his account, saying the chief had not directed him to sign the attendance roster on his behalf, according to Kanwit.

The class instructor also backed up this account. The instructor said Leasure had asked if he could sign the chief in, but the trainer said there was no indication the chief had directed Leasure to do so, according to Kanwit's summary.

"Chief Marshman denied he said anything to Lt. Leasure about signing the attendance roster on the Chief's behalf,'' Kanwit wrote.

"I find that Chief Marshman did not violate the Police Bureau's directive on truthfulness, and while it appears that he did not violate any bureau directives, I will reserve making that finding until I have reviewed the full investigation,'' Kanwit wrote to the mayor Tuesday.

"It's clear that Chief Marshman did not engage in conduct that would result in termination, and in fact may not have violated any Police Bureau directives,'' Kanwit wrote.

Marshman released a statement early Wednesday evening: "I look forward to getting back to work and supporting the members of the organization as they continue to do great work for the community on a daily basis. I will continue to focus on the bigger issues facing the City of Portland and the Police Bureau. I appreciate the support I have received from Bureau members and the community."

Leasure remains on paid leave, and the investigation is ongoing, according to city officials.

The city's Independent Police Review Division conducted the investigation along with the bureau's internal affairs division.

Constantin Severe, director of the Independent Police Review Division, said the investigation has not been completed as he hasn't approved all the reports.

It's unclear who made the initial complaint that led to the inquiry.

Someone informed the Police Bureau's internal affairs division about the discrepancy regarding the chief's attendance at the in-house training. Internal affairs alerted the Independent Police Review Division, which conducts inquires into alleged misconduct by high-ranking officers of the rank of captain and above.

Assistant Chief Chris Davis has been serving as acting chief since Marshman and Leasure were placed on leave.

Kanwit misspelled Leasure's name throughout her summary report on her initial findings.

Marshman has led the bureau since late June, when the former mayor named him to fill the job after the retirement of Larry O'Dea, who was under criminal investigation at the time for shooting a friend on a camping trip to eastern Oregon.

Wheeler earlier this month said he plans to conduct a national search for chief of police and expects it to last about four months, with an offer extended by July.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian