Ryan Lee’s 2-year tenure as Boise police chief marked by major events. Here’s a timeline

After starting his new position at the height of the Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements, Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee spent two years with the Boise Police Department facing security concerns at protests, questions about police shootings and personal allegations against him.

Lee, who resigned Friday upon request from Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, had more than 20 years with the Portland Police Bureau, where he was promoted as a “national subject matter expert in policing large-scale events and public order policing,” the Idaho Statesman previously reported. He left Portland as an assistant chief.

Lee, a Coast Guard veteran with a criminal justice degree from Cal State Sacramento, was hired by the Portland Police Bureau in September 2000 and spent seven years as an officer before being promoted to sergeant, according to a copy of Lee’s personnel records that the Statesman obtained via a public records request. In 2015 he was promoted to lieutenant, and then two years later he was promoted to assistant chief.

Here’s a timeline of some events from Lee’s time with the Boise Police Department.

June 9, 2020: Boise City Council unanimously confirms Ryan Lee as the new Boise chief of police. McLean says Lee is the “perfect choice” for the city. Lee was one of two finalists, along with Joseph Chacon, an assistant chief for the Austin, Texas, Police Department. Both were interviewed via video by different groups, including local law enforcement officials, two community panels and a Boise Police Department panel.

July 1, 2020: Lee is sworn in as Boise’s police chief, the day after a Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police rally outside Boise City Hall.

July 15, 2020: Two weeks into his new role, Lee sets transparency, policy, discipline and training goals. He also proposes plans to create a dashboard documenting how often officers use force. Spokeswoman Haley Williams told the Statesman on Tuesday that the department is “still working on creating this dashboard.”

July 20, 2020: Ahead of what’s expected to be a large Black Lives Matter protest and counterprotest, Lee promises a “substantial and robust” police presence and requests that groups self-police against individuals who infiltrate their ranks in order to provoke, intimidate and start problems.

Dec. 15, 2020: Boise police face scrutiny after officers stand on the roof of the Central District Health office while protesters gather outside and board members vote on a public health order for the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 20, 2021: Locals gather at the Idaho Capitol for a vigil decrying violence and racism against Asian Americans in response to hate shootings in Atlanta. Lee and McLean hold a meeting with more than 150 members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

June 27, 2021: Boise police shoot Mohamud Hassan Mkoma, a member of the Somali Bantu refugee community, who is hospitalized for months. Mkoma’s family and community demand Boise police show body-cam footage.

Oct. 12, 2021: Lee allegedly hurts an officer during a neck restraint demonstration among staff.

Oct. 18, 2021: A member of the police department command staff reports the demonstration incident to human resources, and staff begins an investigation.

Oct. 25, 2021: Two people are killed and four others injured in a shooting at Boise Towne Square mall. Lee speaks at a press conference to address details of the ongoing investigation.

Jan. 19, 2022: The city of Boise confirms there is an ongoing investigation related to Lee’s alleged injuring of another officer during a demonstration in October 2021.

April 5, 2022: Boise Police Sgt. Kirk Rush files a tort claim against Lee and the city of Boise. The claim alleges that Lee “caused serious and significant injuries” to Rush.

April 5, 2022: Office of Police Accountability Director Jesus Jara sends a memo to McLean and Chief of Staff Courtney Washburn recommending that Lee be placed on paid administrative leave after nine officers file complaints against Lee, according to a story from KTVB.

May, 9, 2022: Jara sends an email to an undisclosed person that the mayor’s office had an outside counsel review the allegations against Lee, and they determined there were no policy violations, according to the KTVB report.

Aug. 24, 2022: Lee writes a guest opinion in the Idaho Statesman after an announcement about new hiring criteria for the department meant to broaden the candidate pool creates a stir.

Aug. 31, 2022: Idaho State Police announces that Lee will not be criminally charged for allegedly breaking a lower-ranking officer’s neck during an unplanned neck restraint demonstration. “I believe this investigation has been taken as far as possible,” Clearwater Prosecutor Clayne Tyler, who investigated Lee, says in a press release.

Sept. 1, 2022: The Statesman obtains a letter written by Tyler that states there was evidence Lee committed a crime by allegedly breaking Rush’s neck, but not “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“This decision was not reached lightly nor without angst, as it truly is a close call,” Tyler wrote in a letter to the Idaho State Police, McLean and Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts. The letter was sent Aug. 26.

Sept. 22, 2022: KTVB publishes its story about nine officers contacting the Office of Police Accountability to report allegations against Lee.

Sept. 23, 2022: Just hours before the city of Boise announces Lee will be resigning, McLean tells the Statesman she had “conversations about management” at the department.

Sept. 23, 2022: The city announces Lee will resign at the request of McLean. Lee will be on paid leave until his resignation takes effect Oct. 14.