It is all smiles until you get caught!

August 31st, 2023

Tillamook Police Chief Raymond Rau was charged with four misdemeanors on August 30, relating to the Oregon State Police and Department of Justice investigation into missing and tampered evidence at the Tillamook Police Department's property room.

Rau was charged with two counts of official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor, one count of theft in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of theft in the third degree, a class B misdemeanor.

Oregon State Police's (OSP) investigation began in May, after an audit of the department's property room revealed that evidence had been tampered or removed in more than 80 cases dating back to 2005. Most of the cases, 64 of the 83, related to drug crimes and the majority had occurred since 2021. The investigation led Tillamook District Attorney Aubrey Olson to reevaluate the affected cases and begin dismissing charges and seeking vacations in several cases.

The indictment against Rau comes after the chief had been on a murky leave since at least the middle of May and charges him with removing money and controlled substances from the Tillamook Police evidence locker. Rau is alleged to have removed more than $100 in cash and less than $100 worth of controlled substances from the locker between October 1, 2021, and May 8, 2023.

City Manager Nathan George declined to comment on the indictment. George said that Rau's employment status, which falls under his purview, was unchanged and that the chief remained on leave.