Interim St. Helens police chief accuses mayor of retaliation, collusion in whistleblower lawsuit

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The interim St. Helens police chief has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city’s mayor, claiming she blocked his promotion as permanent chief after he accused her of colluding with the former police chief in mayoral election interference.

The suit, filed Monday in Columbia County and first reported by the Oregonian/OregonLive, claims the retaliation against interim Chief Joseph Hogue comes after this accusation against Mayor Jennifer Massey, as well as an investigative report into accusations of misconduct by former Chief Brian Greenway.

After Hogue reported his superior, Greenway was placed on leave in Oct. 2024, he eventually retired in January 2025 and Hogue, a lieutenant at the time, was appointed acting chief. Hogue was recently named interim chief of the St. Helens Police Department as the city council continues to look for a new chief.

“Chief Hogue stepped up during a time of turmoil when the previous chief was under investigation, and he has been incredibly successful in the position. Unfortunately, he’s been the target of a retaliation campaign for being the whistleblower,” said Hogue’s attorney Rebecca Cambreleng. 

Court documents state there was a second part of the report detailing collusion allegations between Greenway and Massey, who was a mayoral candidate at the time. “Because the mayor was not the subject of the investigation, that information was not released,” Cambreleng said.

“They were unfounded accusations, rumors” Massey said when discussing the redacted section during a city council meeting on February 25. She added the segment, “had nothing that was germane to the actual investigation.”

During the City Council meetings after the report was released, the documents claim “citizens stood up to congratulate Chief Hogue and commend him on coming forward as a whistleblower.” Afterwards, city councilors and administrators began the process to confirm Hogue as permanent chief, which the suit claims Massey continually stalled.

Instead of allowing the council to confirm Hogue, the suit states Massey pushed for him to end his 26-year career with the police department and sign on for a six-month contract, which would serve as a period of evaluation for Hogue. The suit argues this “would make it much easier to terminate Chief Hogue who is the longest-serving employee of the City.”

The suit further alleges that Massey sent several text messages to former and current officers under Hogue’s command, asking for their opinions of him.

Additionally, Massey attempted to intimidate a city administrator into putting Hogue on paid administrative leave, her reasoning being Hogue was working to “disparage” her, the suit states. However, the city administrator refused to comply.

Hogue is now seeking at least $500,000 in damages.

When reached for comment on the suit, Mayor Massey said that, while they are not willing to comment on ongoing or potential litigation, there will be more information released at a later time.

“I do believe more of the actual facts will come to light in the near future, and I look forward to the opportunity to speak more freely when appropriate,” she added.

The lawsuit also names the City of St. Helens in the complaint, and a spokesperson for the city told KOIN 6 News in a statement, “The City received notice of the Complaint yesterday and is reviewing it. The City will work with legal counsel to review the Complaint and provide additional information to the public.”

KOIN 6 also reached out to retired Chief Greenway for comment. This story will be updated when we hear back.