Portland Police Chief Bob Day has made a public guarantee to the city that his ties to the Sam Day Foundation, a non-profit focused on researching rare cancers, will not impact his duties as the city's top cop. The promise comes in the wake of concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest due to Day's deep affiliation with the foundation, which he helped launch after the tragic death of his son to Ewing Sarcoma in 2016.

In the mix of trying to balance personal loss and professional integrity, Day consulted with the City Attorney on how to uphold the City of Portland's Administrative Rule 11.02, which outlines conduct deemed inappropriate for city officials. With a statement published on the Portland government site, he stressed his understanding and abidance by these rules. Expressing concern that even the perception of impropriety could taint the trust in his leadership, Day made clear his commitment to ethics. Running the police department, Day stated, "I want to ensure that the community and Bureau employees know that I understand and acknowledge this rule and will not violate it in my role as Chief", as per the City of Portland, Oregon.

The Sam Day Foundation has been a beacon of hope for many, raising funds to delve into scarce medical research territories. As Day steps back, ensuring no line is crossed between his advocacy and his professional duties, the community watches with both supportive and critical eyes.

Day's decision to be upfront with his affiliations signals a move towards greater transparency within Portland's Police Bureau, a department that has faced its fair share of scrutiny over the years. The police chief, by laying bare his moral compass, wants to ward off any shadows of doubt over the department's integrity. Making his stance known, he proclaimed that his role with the foundation would not be "intertwined with my role as Chief of Police." This statement offers a message that, to Portland's police head, upholding trust is as imperatively mandatory as the badge he wears.