Major F. Heath Gorham is being promoted to Asst. Chief of the Portland Police
Department effective April 18, 2021.
Ass. Chief Gorham, an Air Force Veteran, who served as a K-9 explosive detection handler, has since served the Portland Police Department for the past 20 years. Asst. Chief Gorham has served in uniformed patrol, the Crime Reduction Unit and was an FBI-certified bomb technician who oversaw the department’s Hazardous Devices Unit
He was also a member of the department’s Peer Support team. Asst. Chief Gorham was awarded officer of the year in 2005 and was also the recipient of a Heroism Commendation that same year. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2009, Lt. in 2016 and Major in 2017, during which he oversaw uniformed operations, managed planning for all major events in the city and executed the department’s COVID-19 plan.
The department has recently restructured its command which he will oversee. His annual salary was not reported in the press release, unfortunately.