Portland officer suspended (10/7/04)

The Portland Board of Works voted this morning to suspend a Portland police officer for 10 days without pay after finding he took items from a home during execution of a search warrant in 2002.

Chad Ridenour, who has been on the force since 2000, was accused of taking items during a search in September of 2002. The items, which were never logged or put in an evidence room at the police station, were found to have been destroyed sometime last year.

Two other Portland officers were suspended for five days each by police chief Bob Sours in connection with the same incident. Sours refused this morning to release the names of those two officers. Action by the board of works was not required on a suspension of five days or less.

Sours said Ridenour was suspended because he violated two department rules: Conduct of duty and conduct of duty unbecoming of a police officer.

The items allegedly taken from the home had nothing to do with the reason the house was being searched, Sours said.

The two officers were suspended for five days because they, “had direct knowledge of this and could have taken action to correct the situation,” he said. Those officers have been with the police department for more than four years.

“This is a touchy situation on these items,” said Sours.

A search warrant was issued for the residence and the search took place on Sept. 16, 2002. Drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in the home, Sours said. Ridenour is accused of taking items belonging to a woman who did not live in the house.

Sours said she asked the items be returned to her in September 2002 and December 2003. They were never returned and were destroyed in December 2003, Sours said.

Sours said since becoming police chief in January of this year, he has handed out several one-day suspensions to officers, but none as long as the two five-day suspensions announced today.[[In-content Ad]]