Finding the best chief in the stack

Enterprise is going to hire a new police chief. The question remains, however, who is going to recruit, examine and hire that person?

Members of the City Council have been open in admitting they feel unqualified to sift through the expected pool of applicants and make the proper determination.

“We seven people could throw a dart at a dartboard and pick a candidate,” Mayor Steve Lear said. “And an applicant will never look better than on the day you interview him or her. But how do you check their statements?”

The answer, according to Lear, is to assemble a committee made up of council members and representatives from other public safety agencies. That committee has not yet to be formed.

But when it is, the committee can count on the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police Agency Review Program for assistance and advice, according to City Administrator Michele Young. That group conducted a review of the Enterprise Police Department. “They have been assisting us all along,” Young said.

Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts, who led the Agency Review team, confirmed that. “I am still being responsive to questions and concerns,” he said. “I do not know my role moving forward. I will continue to help when and where I can.”

Furthermore, Young said, negotiations are ongoing to hire a qualified investigator who will do the background check.

“The deadline for the applicants to get their information to us isn’t until Aug. 22,” Young said. “We’ll probably be putting the committee together next week.”