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June 26, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels March 15, 2004 Putting them to the test By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland Police Department is looking for a few good men ( and women). To make sure they had the best people for the job, the APD recently put finalists for two officer openings through two days of intensive physical, mental and social testing. Just having a little fun, Ashland P.D. Chief, Mike Bianca, takes a turn through the obstacle course Thursday. The APD uses the course, and other tests to screen potential applicants. Satsuki Doi Ashland Daily Tidings On Thursday, eight finalist were given a written test, which dwindled the competition to six, followed by a challenging physical test to determine their mobility, agility, flexibility, and general endurance. On Friday, the candidates, all who have law enforcement experience in Southern Oregon, went through an all-day process of additional testing and interviews. The APD hopes to fill two vacant officer spots, due to recent resignations in the department. They expect to make a decision by early this week. "We like to be thorough," said Gail Rosenberg, accreditation/training manager for the APD. " We want the best possible people who have professionalism, courtesy and compassion that we feel are best suited for our community." Police Chief Mike Bianca concurred. "We want people who demonstrated both crimefighting skills, plus the ability to make community connections," he said. On Thursday, the physical test gave the recruits, five men and one woman, quite a workout during the Oregon Physical Ability Test. Each applicant had to do six laps through a 1,235 foot obstacle course to demonstrate their walking, running, jumping, climbing, crawling, vaulting and lifting skills. The candidates also had a variety of challenging tests such as pushing an 80-pound weight off the floor and moving in a 180-degree arc six times, followed by doing four controlled falls and alternating with touching a mark 39 inches from the floor. They also had to drag a 165-pound dummy 25 feet. "It's a true test of what a police officer potentially does each day," said candidate Kim Gibson, the chief of police in Shady Cove. "You have to be in [very] good shape. I'm impressed. A lot of agencies don't have the foresight to do this." Gibson, who has been in law enforcement for 27 years, said he has been impressed with how the APD is run and its reputation in the region. "It's a phenomenal police department," he said. "It's a great example of a well organized police department with good community support." Scott Schuster, the police chief in Butte Falls, agreed the course was quite a challenge. "It's deceptively difficult," he said. "By the third or fourth lap, it starts to pick up. It doesn't allow you to catch your breath." Schuster used to be a reserve officer with the APD and worked in the security department at Southern Oregon University. Candidate Scott Wenzel is a reserve officer with the APD. He said he would love to work for the department full time. "I like the community, and the officers that work here," Wenzel said. " It's a very good environment to work in... They're really covering all the steps so they get the candidates they want." Recognizing the hard work the applicants were doing, Bianca took the test voluntarily. "I wanted to show a little solidarity with the candidates," he said. "But I'll tell you, that little exercise does beat you up. I went at it really hard." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams