A Portland police captain who was suspended less than two years ago for bringing "discredit and disgrace upon the bureau and the city" was tapped this year to provide leadership training to command staff.

Assistant Chief Larry O'Dea, who oversees the bureau's operations branch, asked Capt. Mark Kruger to develop a training course called, "Leadership and the Resolution of Common Tactical Problems."

Kruger provided the training to all bureau command staff, including sergeants, lieutenants and commanders. Two weeks ago, he also provided the training to North Precinct staff.

Kruger's training focused on "common tactical problems and the role leadership plays," according to the police bureau's response to a written public information request.

The Oregonian filed a request for information on what Kruger's training class was called on March 9, and it took the bureau more than two weeks to respond.

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Some officers have privately questioned the choice, considering his background.

When asked why the bureau chose Kruger to lead the training, O'Dea said in a written response, "because he has developed an expertise in the role leadership plays in solving common tactical problems ...Captain Kruger's work in this area has made the Bureau's response to tactical incidents and people in crisis better and safer."

O'Dea added that his class has received "excellent peer reviews."

In late November 2010, Chief Mike Reese announced he was suspending Kruger for 80 hours without pay and ordered him to take "Tools for Tolerance" training because he had erected a public tribute to five Nazi-era German soldiers at a city park while employed by the Police Bureau.

An internal affairs investigation found Kruger brought "discredit and disgrace upon the Bureau and the City," when Kruger nailed "memorial plaques" of five Nazi soldiers to a tree on the east side of Rocky Butte Park sometime between 1999 and 2001.

Kruger was a Portland officer at the time, but was not on duty when he erected the plaques as a shrine. Kruger called the memorial "Ehrenbaum" or "Honor Tree."

The chief found Kruger violated a bureau directive on professional conduct, and Portland city code, which says no person shall attach anything to property in a city park.

In his disciplinary letter, Reese wrote that Kruger's conduct and the publicity from the plaques "raise legitimate questions about your ability to be effective in your job."

The chief said he expected Kruger never to engage in conduct that "denigrates others or their differences" on duty or off duty, and that he participate in a "mentorship arrangement" that the chief and mayor had not defined.

Kruger wrote a letter of apology to the chief, the bureau, the City Council and community. He described himself as a European and military history buff, but denied any admiration for Nazis, and said he had no knowledge that one of the officers he honored was involved in war crimes.

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