Terri Davie. Photo: OSP
Beginning November 1, the Oregon State Police will have a new superintendent, Terri Davie, pending Oregon Senate confirmation.
The move was announced Monday, August 31 by Governor Kate Brown, who appointed Davie to replace retiring OSP superintendent Travis Hampton, who officially submitted his letter of resignation today, which will be effective November 1.
In a press release noting Hampton’s retirement, Brown praised Hampton, who is 49, for 30 years of service with the Oregon State Police.
According to the Oregonian, Hampton started with the OSP in 1990 as a cadet and worked his way up from there before being appointed as superintendent by Brown four years ago.
The Gales Creek Journal is supported by these local businesses and groups
Brown said that Hampton had informed her of his plans to retire earlier in 2020.
“I’d like to thank Superintendent Hampton for his 30 years of distinguished service protecting the people of Oregon. I am grateful for the way he has advised me and led the Oregon State Police over the years, thoughtfully and honorably, most recently through a particularly contentious summer,” Brown said.
“When we as a country are confronting difficult truths about racism and racial injustice in our criminal justice system, Superintendent Hampton’s calm and determined leadership was exactly what was called for in this moment. For fourteen nights in downtown Portland, he led from the front as he personally oversaw the transition of duties from federal officers to state law enforcement outside the Hatfield Courthouse, to keep the peace and protect free speech,” Brown said.
As for Davie, pending final Senate approval, she will be tasked with leading the state’s largest police agency, and will take the post on November 1, two days before the general election that has become defined in many ways in recent weeks by a reckoning with brutality and systemic racism residing in police forces across the nation.
“Terri brings a wealth of law enforcement experience to this role and a strong record of leading by example,” said Brown. “She brings a focus on inclusivity and is dedicated to listening to community voices—including Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Tribal communities—as we work towards a more fair and just law enforcement system in Oregon. I look forward to her leadership as we do the hard work of transforming law enforcement standards and training and putting the state on a path toward racial justice.”
According to Brown’s office, Davie has worked in Oregon law enforcement for almost 24 years, beginning with a stint as a correctional officer at the Oregon Department of Corrections, where she was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
In 2001, Davie joined the Oregon State Police as a patrol trooper in Albany, and in the subsequent years since has worked in various roles, including as a technical collision investigator, a major crimes detective, a crisis negotiator with the OSP SWAT team, and as a station commander of the Capitol Mall Area Command.
Beginning in July of 2016, Davie began her most recent role as OSP Deputy Superintendent.
In addition to her workplace credentials, Davie holds an Advanced Law Enforcement Certification, and is an active member of the FBI National Executive Institute, and the International and Oregon Association Chiefs of Police.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
