PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The state Police Policy Committee has recommended that Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto be stripped of his badge.

The action comes after an investigation into Giusto's conduct during the time he worked for the Oregon State Police and was assigned to the security detail of then-Gov. Neil Goldschmidt.

The committee, comprised of sheriffs, police chiefs and officers from across the state, decided the evidence indicates Giusto lied nearly 20 years ago when he told his supervisors he wasn't having an affair with Goldschmidt's wife.

They also determined that Giusto lied earlier this year when he said in a sworn statement that he didn't remember ever being confronted by his supervisors about his relationship with Margie Goldschmidt.

Lying violates the state's moral fitness standard required of all police officers.

Though the committee's vote is only a recommendation, the full Board on Public Safety Standards and Training has never overruled it. The board is scheduled to take up the Giusto matter in July.

"For all practical purposes, what these committees recommend becomes the de facto final answer," said Bruce McCain, a lieutenant working as Giusto's lawyer. McCain said he expected Giusto to contest the finding, which could extend the process for another year.

Giusto, after getting the news Tuesday, told his staff he was taking the rest of the week off to reflect on his future, The Oregonian newspaper reported.

Giusto has long refused to discuss his relationship with Margie Goldschmidt, beyond saying that they were close friends while he was in the security detail and acknowledging that they dated after she divorced her husband.

He started his career with the Oregon State Police and then became the police chief in Gresham. Giusto has spent the last six years as county sheriff, but planned to retire at the end of this year.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)