Captain C. W. Jensen
Encyclopedia
Charles W. "C. W." Jensen is a retired Captain
of the Portland Police Bureau
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Jensen was also a regular commentator on the FOX television
series World's Wildest Police Videos
. He also appeared on other police-related programs including American Detective
and World's Scariest Police Chases, which first aired in 1991 and 1997 respectively.
, Hostage Negotiation
and undercover street crime
operations. He was a patrol shift commander and also commanded Internal Affairs
and the Training Division.
He has written several articles about his experience when he shot and killed an armed robbery suspect who was holding a hostage. He has also spoken frequently with his former partner about a homicide investigation involving three pre-teen boys in the late 1980s. Then Detective Jensen and Sgt. David Trimble of the Clark County, Washington
Sheriff's Office arrested Westley Allan Dodd
who confessed to sexually assaulting and murdering the young boys. Dodd was executed by hanging
in the State of Washington in 1993. It was the first execution in Washington in decades. Noted crime author Gary King wrote a book about the case called Driven To Kill. Captain Jensen first met Paul Stojanovich
, the producer of World's Scariest Police Chases, when he and his partner in the homicide squad appeared in the premiere episodes of ABC
's American Detective in the early 1990s. He was the Portland Police Spokesman from 1994 to 1996.
. After Jensen threatened Katz with a lawsuit, a monetary settlement was reached that reinstated him as a Captain for retirement reasons.
, the NBC
affiliate in Portland. Jensen filled the role as Police expert. Jensen is also the crime and police expert for KXL radio in Portland
. Most recently Jensen has appeared in a series of television infomercials. He has appeared on the Maury Povich Show several times, and has become a frequent contributor on the Nancy Grace Show. Jensen has one daughter, Anna. With the ongoing investigation of the Kyron Horman case in Portland, Oregon, Jensen has appeared on several national news programs as an expert commentator.
Police captain
- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
of the Portland Police Bureau
Portland Police Bureau
The Portland Police Bureau is the law enforcement agency of the City of Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. While oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City Commissioners, the Mayor has historically been assigned to the Police Bureau as the police...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Jensen was also a regular commentator on the FOX television
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos is a reality TV series that dealt with police videos from across the world. Video footage of car chases, subsequent arrests, robberies, riots and other crimes appeared on the show...
. He also appeared on other police-related programs including American Detective
American Detective
American Detective was a police documentary television series broadcast by ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1993.American Detective featured detectives in major U.S. urban areas working on high-profile criminal cases which were often drug-related...
and World's Scariest Police Chases, which first aired in 1991 and 1997 respectively.
Police career
Jensen spent over 20 years with the Portland Police Bureau, and retired as a Captain after a career that included assignments in HomicideHomicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
, Hostage Negotiation
Hostage crisis
A hostage crisis develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked....
and undercover street crime
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
operations. He was a patrol shift commander and also commanded Internal Affairs
Internal affairs (law enforcement)
The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force...
and the Training Division.
He has written several articles about his experience when he shot and killed an armed robbery suspect who was holding a hostage. He has also spoken frequently with his former partner about a homicide investigation involving three pre-teen boys in the late 1980s. Then Detective Jensen and Sgt. David Trimble of the Clark County, Washington
Clark County, Washington
Clark County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.Clark County was the first county of Washington, named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition...
Sheriff's Office arrested Westley Allan Dodd
Westley Allan Dodd
Westley Allan Dodd was a convicted American serial killer and child molester. He has been called "one of the most evil killers in history." His execution on January 5, 1993, was the first legal hanging in the United States since 1965.- His childhood years :Westley Allan Dodd was born in Richland,...
who confessed to sexually assaulting and murdering the young boys. Dodd was executed by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in the State of Washington in 1993. It was the first execution in Washington in decades. Noted crime author Gary King wrote a book about the case called Driven To Kill. Captain Jensen first met Paul Stojanovich
Paul Stojanovich
Paul Stojanovich was an American television producer whose notable creations include American Detective and World's Wildest Police Videos .-Career:...
, the producer of World's Scariest Police Chases, when he and his partner in the homicide squad appeared in the premiere episodes of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's American Detective in the early 1990s. He was the Portland Police Spokesman from 1994 to 1996.
Disciplinary History
Jensen was investigated in 1999 for allegedly claiming improper reimbursement on some meals. However, the investigation was suspended when Jensen took medical leave from his police job, claiming trauma from a previous shooting and alcohol abuse meant that he was no longer fit for the job. Jensen then requested to continue with his old job in September 2003, which subsequently caused the investigation to resume. Jensen was then interviewed by Dr. David Corey to determine whether he was fit for duty. However, this interview contradicted many of Jensen's previous statements, leading Jensen to claim medical leave again. This led to Jensen being fired in March 2004 for engaging in a "pattern of deceptive behavior" Jensen was fired by then Mayor Vera KatzVera Katz
Vera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
. After Jensen threatened Katz with a lawsuit, a monetary settlement was reached that reinstated him as a Captain for retirement reasons.
Post-retirement
After retiring from the Portland Police Bureau, Jensen became a television reporter at KGW-TVKGW
KGW is an NBC affiliate television station serving the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. The station broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 8, from its transmitter in Portland. It also produces segments and serves as the Portland bureau for Northwest Cable News , which is also owned by...
, the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate in Portland. Jensen filled the role as Police expert. Jensen is also the crime and police expert for KXL radio in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Most recently Jensen has appeared in a series of television infomercials. He has appeared on the Maury Povich Show several times, and has become a frequent contributor on the Nancy Grace Show. Jensen has one daughter, Anna. With the ongoing investigation of the Kyron Horman case in Portland, Oregon, Jensen has appeared on several national news programs as an expert commentator.