Candidate for Enterprise Chief of Police James Episcopo.

Enterprise City Council announced Friday that its top pick for police chief has withdrawn his application.

James Episcopo of Brookfield Village, Ill., has opted to remain in Illinois following the sudden resignation of Brookfield Police Chief Steven Stelter on Oct. 30. Episcopo, a lieutenant, has been serving as acting chief since then. He is Patrol Commander in charge of 21 officers and has served as acting chief several times in the past.

“We were very sorry to hear he was staying, but he was reluctant to leave his men in an unsettled situation and it was exactly this integrity that made him such an attractive candidate,” said Michele Young, Enterprise city administrator.

Enterprise City Council voted unanimously to make a conditional offer to Episcopo in early October after he and his wife Suzanne toured Wallowa County, met members of the public, spent time with Enterprise police officers and confirmed their desire to be part of the community.

At the time of the conditional offer, Young warned that the process could take several months to complete and revealed the council’s decision to develop another pool of candidates in case Episcopo declined the offer.

Wallowa County Sheriff Steve Rogers has always maintained that he did not want to consider extending county services to cover the city. However, Rogers met Episcopo and assisted the city in developing an effective interview process for candidates.

“If Enterprise asks for my help I’ll give it, but it’s none of my business (otherwise),” Rogers said. “I keep my nose out of it. I know that in these high-level professional positions like this it just takes a long time to find the right person. I think James (Episcopo) had all the good intentions in the world going in.”

Enterprise Police Officer George Kohlhepp will continue to shoulder extra responsibilities as the search begins again. The City Council recently voted to increase Kohlhepp’s pay by 2 percent to compensate him for the extra workload.

The city also has hired retired Oregon State Police Trooper Jed Stone as a temporary city police officer to assist Kohlhepp. In addition to having deep roots in the community, Stone already was current on a number of certifications required for the position and was able to hit the streets without requiring extensive training.

A part-time evidence tech also has been hired to manage the newly organized evidence room shared by the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office and Enterprise Police Department.

Enterprise began the search for a new chief after the resignation of former Chief of Police Wes Kilgore on March 23.

Before launching their search the city requested an Oregon Association Chiefs of Police Executive Resources Agency review to reveal any areas in need of correction. The city has been working to address the problem areas revealed by the subsequent report.

The three police chiefs that made up the review board — Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts, La Grande Police Chief Brian Harvey and Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner — also assisted in the search for qualified candidates. That assistance will continue, Young said Friday.