Former police chief faces lifetime ban

Former Cornelius Chief of Police Paul Rubenstein may lose his law enforcement certifications.

The Police Policy Committee within the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training on Thursday recommended a lifetime ban for Rubenstein. The committee reviews allegations of officer misconduct and can recommend discipline to the Police Policy Board.

"They felt in this case his conduct was so egregious it deserved life," Eriks Gabliks, the department's director, said.

Rubenstein retired from his post atop the small, and now defunct, Cornelius Police Department in 2013 amid multiple investigations.

An internal staff report adopted for disciplinary purposes by the committee said Rubenstein would use his city-issued patrol car while on the clock to visit poker clubs and gamble. His department was unorganized and several officers hired by Rubenstein had disciplinary problems of their own.

Rubenstein, who receives $54,920 annually in PERS benefits, was never criminally charged. He has previously denied the allegations against him.

Matt Workman, chief of the Warrenton Police Department, called the case "extremely embarrassing" for the reputation of Oregon's law enforcement agencies.

The Police Policy Board will decide in January whether Rubenstein's police certifications should be permanently revoked.

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