The Investigation of Pepe Chavez et al: When Police and Politics Collide
by Ray Tercek

   “When Police and Politics Collide” is the second of a two-book series and follows “The Investigation of Pepe Chavez, et al” by local author Ray Tercek. During his time with the Portland Police Bureau, Ray found himself in the center of a massive drug trafficking investigation that led to political conflicts within the Police Bureau itself and eventually with top Portland officials – Mayor Bud Clark and, specifically, Portland Chief of Police Penny Harrington whose husband Gary Harrington was suspected of tipping off a target of the cocaine trafficking probe.
   Tercek’s first book traces the details of a complex drug investigation up to the successful arrests of many of the principal targets. “When Police and Politics Collide” continues the story of the next phase of the intricate task force work targeting additional members of the criminal drug distribution network and attempting to apprehend Pepe Chavez, the head of the illegal enterprise who had escaped capture so far.
   Significant progress is stalled by numerous political and bureaucratic hurdles. In particular, a well-known Portland restaurant owner, Bobby Lee, becomes a focus for interrogation but he reveals to task force members that he had been forewarned by police officer Gary Harrington. Did police chief Penny Harrington, his wife, who had access to the task force progres, share some of that closely held information with her husband so that he could warn their friend Bobby Lee? Soon multiple investigative panels are busy interviewing participants in the scandal and “spinning” the tale for the news media. Political challenges within the police bureau are soon overshadowed by those involving the Portland Mayer and the Chief of Police.
   Throughout it all, Tercek maintains his determined focus on the investigation’s goals as well as his personal integrity and commitment to service. While this isn’t a fast read due to the tremendous amount of factual detail Ray has included to document events, readers will appreciate his insider insight into the saga. Penny Harrington was the first female Police Chief appointed to head the police force of a major city and the investigation at the center of this book’s narrative offers unique insight into her rise and eventual fall from grace. Many other significant Portland political players are also profiled in the book - among them eventual Police Chief and Mayor Tom Potter and former Mayor Bud Clark who appointed Penny Harrington as Police Chief. Followers of Portland history will find this book’s revelations indispensible.
   If you have read Ray’s first book “The Investigation of Pepe Chavez, et al,” I would encourage you not to miss the “rest of the story” in “When Police and Politics Collide.” The writing is stronger and the story’s narrative thread is even more compelling.
   Author Ray Tercek is a retired cop, with over thirty-one years in service. He served twenty-six years in the Portland Police Bureau. During his drug enforcement years, he was commissioned as a Special Deputy United States Marshal. With the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration, he supervised the first Northwest Presidential Drug Task Force. In later years, he left the Portland Police Bureau and served five years with the Gresham Police Department. Ray lives in Welches with his family.