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ASHLAND HIGH SCHOOL AHS grad named Port of Portland police chief Former Grizz all-star lineman worked way up ladder after graduating from SOU By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 11, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 11, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> As a former prep football standout once recruited by longtime NFL coach Rex Ryan, Jason Wallis has heard his share of inspirational sound bites, both in the locker room and on the sideline. One of his favorite was delivered by current Southern Oregon University head coach Craig Howard, who was the defensive coordinator at Oregon Tech when Wallis was there, figuring out if college football was for him. “The ‘big-time,’” Howard said, “is wherever you’re at.” Translation: Don’t worry so much about the next step or what could have been. Instead, pour all your energy into what you’re doing today. Wallis, who graduated from Ashland High School in 1988, took that advice to heart, landing a job with the Port of Portland months before graduating from SOU. There, he climbed the law enforcement ladder in the city-within-a-city that is the Port of Portland, steadily earning promotions from officer to sergeant, from detective sergeant to lieutenant, then on to captain. Finally, on July 2, in a ceremony attended by most of his family, some via Skype, the former Ashland High lineman was sworn in as the Port of Portland’s police chief. The Port of Portland police department’s jurisdiction includes Portland International Airport. Besides serving and protecting the 10,000 PDX employees, Wallis’ department is also responsible for some 15 million travelers a year — or about 40,000 a day — who make their way through the facility. Wallis chuckles when describing how he learned of the promotion. Mark Crosby, the Port’s chief of public safety and security, summoned Wallis to his office to discuss a “disciplinary issue.” “So I went in there ready for some big thing,” Wallis said. It was a big thing, just not the one Wallis expected. Crosby offered Wallis the job. “I was very honored, very surprised,” Wallis said. “There was some great competition and it’s a great opportunity. For me, I feel like I’ve really taken advantage of every position that I’ve had and tried to make the most of all my assignments, and that’s one thing that (Crosby) mentioned. Every day you come to work is part of your resume and part of the interview process. It’s an honor and I’m very happy. This is a great organization.” Wallis, who has worked for the Port of Portland for his entire 18-year career in law enforcement, was selected to take over for retiring Chief Phil Klahn following a nationwide search. It’s a natural passing of the torch. In his time at the Port, Wallis has supervised the detective and K9 units (the unit has four bomb-detecting dogs), served four years as a lieutenant, two years as a captain and most recently filled in as the acting chief following Klahn’s retirement. “I’ve really been happy in every position I’ve had here, whether it’s patrol officer or supervisor. I think the key is, I really do enjoy the work and I enjoy the differences that each of the positions had. And my goal was always to do the best that I could — not that that was always the best — and when opportunities come available make the most of those and try to advance. I’ve always thought it would be a great thing if the opportunity came available, but I didn’t really dwell on it.” Wallis said he had many Ashland influences, especially on the gridiron. One day during his ninth-grade year, former Ashland High football coach Jim Nagel spoke to his class and implored anybody who was interested in playing in high school to start working out. Wallis still remembers Nagel’s words: “We’re going in a new direction,” he said, “and your class is a big part of that.” Wallis — 6-foot-2 at the time, but a bean-pole at about 150 pounds — took the advice to heart. He asked his parents for a gym membership and used it, gaining 15 pounds of muscle before the start of his sophomore season. He kept working out. By the time the University of Montana offered him a football scholarship he was a 6-foot-5, 235-pound first-team all-conference lineman. “All the coaches were definitely mentors to me,” Wallis said. “Not everybody responds to that kind of structure, but I did. I liked the team concept.” And still does. Most of his Port of Portland staff’s work is done on foot and bike in the terminal, which is often packed. Covering that much ground in a densely populated building requires pinpoint coordination, not to mention a communications center, a detectives unit and the bomb-sniffing dogs. They get results, though. For instance: according to Wallis, PDX averages less than 200 thefts of luggage a year out of the millions of suitcases and bags that flow through annually. “When things are stolen,” he said, “we catch the people who steal them.” The Port of Portland police department is also required under federal regulations to respond immediately when the Transportation Security Administration needs a hand. “And we respond the same way, and that’s been an area of emphasis,” Wallis said. “We don’t know if it’s an active shooter, a minor screening issue or just a service issue. We immediately respond to the checkpoints in any area for TSA. We take reports there, prohibited items that could be a crime, who knows.” Wallis said another aspect of his job that may be underrated but crucial nonetheless is customer service. The Port of Portland’s officers have the same responsibilities they would have if they worked a city beat, but must also consider how their decisions impact a giant machine with thousands of moving parts. “We’re very businesslike and business oriented because we’re part of a bigger picture,” Wallis said. “If we had a traffic accident on airport way — let’s say it’s a shuttle van with two flight crews that are going international and some passengers — we investigate that like every other agency in the state, but at the same time a delay of flights or a cancellation of flights could have an impact on the entire national aviation system. Everything is related. “So when I meet with new hires, people who want to work here, I tell them right up front, ‘You’re going to do all the things you do, and my expectation is that you do everything well. You do all the normal police stuff, you respond to all these security issues, whether it’s a door open, it’s TSA calling to assist with a screening regulation. And if somebody wants to know where the bathroom is or directions somewhere, we do that.’ We’re in uniform. We represent the state of Oregon, the Port of Portland and the United States if people come from international.” Wallis’ parents, Bob and Lynn Wallis, still live in Ashland and drove up to Portland to watch their son get sworn in. Lynn admitted that she was stressed out while waiting to hear whether he got the job, but it was all worth it when the call finally came in. The news floored her, and she cheered into the phone like she was at Phillips Field again, watching Jason make a tackle. “I screamed, ‘Ahhhh,’” she said. “'They’re brilliant,' I said. Whoever is on the board, they’re brilliant.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 11, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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