Governor Appoints McLain to Oregon State Police Superintendent

If confirmed, McLain will be the 10th OSP Superintendent in the department's history since formation in 1931.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Governor Ted Kulongoski on Thursday announced the appointment of Acting Superintendent Tim McLain to the position of Superintendent of the Oregon State Police, pending State Senate confirmation. "Deputy Superintendent McLain answered the call in December to serve as Acting Superintendent, and he has carried out that duty with integrity, honor and dedication to the safety of our communities," said Governor Kulongoski. "His knowledge of our state and his nearly 28 years serving Oregonians as a member of the Oregon State Police make him exceptionally qualified to lead Oregon's top state-wide law enforcement agency through this upcoming period of growth and expansion." Oregon law provides that the Superintendent is the executive and administrative head of the department and serves a four-year term. Following the retirement of Superintendent Ronald Ruecker, McLain was appointed as interim Superintendent on December 1st, 2006. McLain, age 50, has been a member of the Oregon State Police for over 27 years, originally starting as a patrol trooper in Roseburg. In 1985, he joined the Criminal Services Division of the Department as a member of the Douglas County Interagency Narcotics Team. McLain went on to supervise an interagency gang enforcement team and narcotics team in the Portland area and later was assigned to supervise criminal investigations in seventeen Central and Eastern Oregon counties. In 1998 he was assigned as Commander of the Southwest Region Headquarters in Central Point where he oversaw OSP operations in seven southern counties until moving to OSP General Headquarters in Salem in 2001, where he served as Lieutenant Colonel overseeing all law enforcement operations until December 2006. McLain comes from a family that has worked in Oregon law enforcement for more than three generations. His father was Undersheriff for Linn County when he retired in 1982. His oldest brother retired in 2000 as Undersheriff for Crook County Sheriff's Office, and another brother was Assistant Chief at Albany Police Department when he retired in 2002. Son, Jered McLain, is currently assigned as an OSP Recruit Trooper at the Springfield Area Command office. "Not only is Tim McLain extremely knowledgeable about the various operations of the state police and of other law enforcement agencies, but he is also committed to strengthening partnerships throughout the state with local and federal public safety officials," the Governor said. "I am confident that under McLain's leadership, the Oregon State Police will be able to further enhance the safety of all of our communities for the sake of our children and families. All Oregonians will benefit from his leadership."