James Howard Lee

James Howard Lee is the Chief of Police for the town of Astoria, Oregon. As an NPC, he is portrayed by Joseph Rose.

Appearance
Chief Lee has short brown hair and blue eyes, and he stands at 6'3". He is frequently seen in a suit and tie, or else in his police uniform, at official functions, but at the beginning and end of the day, when he visits the bars or Cafe d'Arsene, he dresses much more casually. In fact, he tends to be almost unrecognizable at these times, as his sloppiness during his off-hours very much contrasts with his businesslike demeanor when he's on duty.

Personality
A large, dangerous-looking man when he wants to be, and a complete teddy bear at all other times, Chief Lee has three "modes" in which he spends all his life. The first is businesslike, almost military in his bearing. The second is much more relaxed, but still radiating an air of command, as well as control. The third is practically goofy and fun-loving. This last side of him is rarely seen by the general public, except in his favorite cafe or with his very close friends. Children, however, are much more likely to see his teddy bear side, as his cold, military demeanor fades away instantly at the sight of children. Despite his rank, he is known to have some anger management issues. Fortunately, he has displayed a talent for directing his anger towards getting the job done.

Background
Chief Lee has lived in Astoria all his life, and he's been a police officer for almost as long. He joined the Astoria PD straight out of high school, and quickly worked his way up the ranks. He was promoted to Police Chief about seven years ago, even though there were older and more experienced officers on the force at the time. However, none of them seemed to mind his appointment. In fact, they seemed to be pleased that a man like Lee made it to the top.

Leonard Armstrong
Chief Lee has had relatively few dealings with the Governor of Oregon, but during Armstrong's time as a Special Agent for the FBI, they consulted together on several cases, where their jurisdictions happened to overlap. Lee considers Armstrong a good and capable man, and, in fact, voted for him in the election, despite his usual approach to elections, which involves not voting at all.

George Cochran
Given the rumors of embezzlement swirling around Cochran, Lee has been keeping a close eye on him ever since he came to Astoria. In recent months, however, Lee's treatment of Cochran has softened somewhat. They're not friends, but Lee regards him with less suspicion than he used to.

Robert Reed
Robert is the proprietor of Lee's favorite haunt, the Cafe d'Arsene, which, coincidentally, is located just across the street from Lee's house.

Ramon Vega
He and Ramon have been known to go drinking on weekends (and sometimes weekdays as well, provided the day has been bad enough), and they are frequently seen together at the Cafe d'Arsene.