Union accuses Kalama police chief of being drunk in public before exit

Nearly a month before his abrupt October resignation as Kalama police chief, Rafael "Ralph" Herrera received a unanimous vote of no confidence from the police union that represents the department, followed by allegations of being drunk at public city events and urinating outside in a city park. 

As a result, Herrera was suspended without pay for one work week in September, then announced his departure about a month later.

The Sept. 10 vote of no confidence was followed by a Sept. 19 letter addressed to Kalama City Administrator Adam Smee from an attorney at the Lake Oswego-based law firm Thenell Law Group, P.C., who represents the Kalama Police Guild. 

The letter — which also copied to Kalama city councilmembers and the town's mayor — outlines several allegations levied against Herrera, including appearing intoxicated during public city events and not distributing department equipment, such as Tasers, all of which the letter states damaged the credibility of the department.

Smee told The Daily News that Herrera was suspended without pay for 40 hours a work week from Sept. 1 through Sept. 5.

According to Smee, outgoing Kalama Mayor Mike Reuter decided to issue the one-week, no-pay suspension under the city's misconduct policy.

Herrera, who spent eight years at the Kalama Police Department, announced his departure from the Kalama Police Department on Oct. 8, with his last day being two days later, according to the police department's Facebook page.

In the post, Herrera wrote that the "timing of this transition is, unfortunately, more immediate than I had hoped."  

Herrera told The Daily News that not all of the allegations made in the police guild's letter are accurate, and that he doesn't have a drinking problem.

"This is a weaponized mischaracterization of what, I will admit, was complacency I experienced in socializing with Kalama locals in social gatherings," he said.

Herrera added that if he knew "people with agendas, scores to settle, and axes to grind would seize on this 'humanity' and relationship-building, I would certainly have carried myself differently."

Drinking at various events

According to the union's letter, members reported seeing Herrera drinking alcohol and appearing intoxicated at city events, including the Kalama Chamber of Commerce's Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5.

The letter states union members saw Herrera allegedly take shots with attendees. Herrera seemed drunk, then drove his personal vehicle away from the event, the letter continues. 

Photos of Herrera, not dressed in his uniform at the event, can be seen on the Kalama Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page.

At a July softball game, which included city employees, the letter also alleges a union member saw Herrera openly drinking alcohol, as well as taking White Claw cans from his car and handing them to others.

The letter states he was "behaving loudly," and that someone in the crowd inquired who the "obnoxious person" was in the dugout, referring to Herrera.

Herrera told The Daily News he was off duty and not representing the city at either event.

He said he has attended the city-employee softball game for the last seven years and sometimes trash talks opponents in good spirits. 

He also said he is a member of the Kalama Chamber of Commerce and was in charge of organizing the Cinco de Mayo beer garden. He said he stopped drinking early that night and switched to water, as he was volunteering at the event, which included bussing tables and playing music. 

Herrera said he was "100% completely sober at the conclusion of the event." If he felt he needed a ride, he would have asked his wife, who was also there, he added.

During a city party whose date was not included — but occurred during or after spring 2025 — the letter also states Herrera asked a union member to bring him a portable breath test, like a Breathalyzer, after another union member declined to do so. The letter says Herrera was intoxicated and used the portable breath test as a toy, having other people blow into the device. 

Hererra told The Daily News that such “'concerns' asserted by City Hall staff are grossly overstated and misrepresent both the circumstances and my conduct." 

LETTER: Kalama Police Guild votes no-confidence in former chief

Urinating in park

During the Kalama Community Fair in July, Herrera was reportedly "visibly intoxicated," staggering and slurring his speech, the letter alleges. It accuses him of making inappropriate, "sexually charged" comments to another union member in a crowded area about a woman he had invited to the fair. The letter claims he was upset that her husband accompanied her to the fair. 

The letter cites a union member who alleged multiple people asked whether Herrera made it home from the fair safely to emphasize how drunk he appeared. Another member reported witnessing Herrera's wife help him walk to their car, the letter alleges.

A recording of Herrera publicly urinating in the parking lot of Kalama's Haydu Park during the fair started circulating online, and was shared with The Daily News.

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The union letter states Herrera acknowledged in an internal investigation that the video was of him, but he did not admit to being drunk when it was filmed.

Herrera told The Daily News he had started a new medication at the time, which caused him to urinate more frequently. He admitted to drinking alcohol with friends at the fair, but said his wife served as the designated driver.

He confirmed to The Daily News he did urinate in the park's parking lot, saying he opened his car's doors as a way to be discreet. It was an emergency, he said. 

Herrera was unaware someone was recording him, he added, and was upset that Smee and other department heads knew of the video and chose not to inform him, so that he could self-report to the mayor. 

Discipline 

Smee sent Herrera an email, which he shared with The Daily News, dated Aug. 27, in which he addresses "events and your conduct" during the Kalama Fair, as well as the former Kalama police chief's "behavior and conduct with me," on Aug. 22.

Smee wrote that Herrera represents Kalama, whether or not he is wearing a police uniform, and the recording of him urinating in a crowded parking lot during the fair showed "poor judgment and a lack of discernment for the potential embarrassment."

Smee also accused Herrera of escalating a previous discussion between the pair, taking a "congenial conversation" and turning it into a confrontation.

Referencing the video, Smee disputed Herrera's accusation that he violated his trust because he didn't tell him about a "piece of unsubstantiated gossip." 

Tasers, body cameras withheld

The union letter also alleges Herrera failed to timely distribute department equipment.

The Tasers reportedly went unused for over a year, and "newly acquired" police body-worn cameras remained unused for an unspecified amount of time.

Herrera told The Daily News he assigned one officer each to be in charge of the Tasers and the body cameras as a way to train them, but "members of the team have now twisted the facts to make it appear as if I was derelict.

"I remain confident that when these claims are viewed objectively, and in full context, it is clear they are not reflective of my character, my record of service, or my commitment to the Kalama community," Herrera told The Daily News.