And sometimes a news story doesn't really carry any larger freight, but it becomes so overwhelming that some sort of commentary becomes necessary anyway. The scandal surrounding Portland's former police chief, Derrick Foxworth, has little intrinsic importance: It looks like another case of an overenergetic executive doing something stupid, and getting caught at it, and proobably paying the price. (He's technically still on paid leave, but the pretense probably will not last long.)
The basics, for those outside the Portland metro area (practially all those inside already know), mainly concern Foxworth's relationship with Angela Oswalt, a civilian employed in the Portland Police Bureau and at times under Foxworth's supervision, and which now has led to a lawsuit filed by her against the city. The two agree they had an "intense" relationship a few years before he was named chief; they disagree about a number of details. She has produced a volume of e-mails and recounted other conversations with Foxworth, in fine-grain technicolor. Much of this has made the rounds around Portland, especially in its cop shops. The e-mail (whose provenance evidently hasn't been nailed yet) in which Foxworth writes about his "hot chocolate body" apparently has been a favorite. Odwalt also has said that she has felt threatened by Foxworth.
That, and the fallout (Foxworth is on leave, but his "interim" replacement started her first day acting like a permanent replacement), is basically the whole story. Except for the meta-story. (more…)
He's aiming to do some enforcing - according to the report, "flying his own plane on patrols along the border."