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Police chief resigns By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings After battling crime in the city for six years, Ashland's top cop is leaving his job to fight for his life. APD Chief Scott Fleuter has been diagnosed with lupus, an incurable auto-immune disease which causes extreme fatigue, pain and other symptoms. Ashland Police Chief Scott Fleuter walks through the station today as Lt. Mike Bianca works on his computer in the background. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA "I've been struggling with it for 22 months and there's no cure," Fleuter said this morning in a telephone interview. "But it's not immediately life-threatening and it's not going to keep me from living my life and being with my family." Fleuter, 44, will complete his sixth year as Ashland's chief this summer. He has given his resignation to Ashland City Administrator Gino Grimaldi, and will likely work until the first week in August, cutting back his work hours over the next few months as the transition nears. "We have to prepare a (new police chief) search plan, but we have nothing specific yet," Grimaldi said this morning, "We'll miss him and it's going to be difficult to replace him." Lupus is an auto-immune disease in which a person's immune system creates antibodies that attack body tissues rather than protect the body from bacteria and viruses. The result is extreme fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, anemia, malaise, and can even result in the destruction of vital organs. The disease is neither infectious nor contagious. "There's worse things out there and the odds are I will live as long as I would have normally," Fleuter said. "If you take things easier and reduce your workload and stress, you can better manage the disease." Fleuter intends to stay in Ashland at least until his two children, ages 12 and 14, graduate from high school. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. "But I have nothing really specific in mind. I think I'll take the time to step back and look at what I want to do." After six years as chief, Fleuter said he would miss his co-workers in the Ashland Police Department. "It sounds corny, but it's the folks here who I work with that I'm most proud of and who I'll miss the most," Fleuter said. "This is really a great department." Fleuter has been in law enforcement for 20 years, and praised Ashland's unique community for making his time here enjoyable. "I love the community and I've always been real impressed with the role we get to play here," he said. "I think crime is lower here because the town is so vibrant and active and people get involved." On the other hand, that same level of community involvement can give police additional challenges, Fleuter noted. "The challenges here are unique," he said. "This is community where people like to be involved in the process, which is great when you consider what it's like living in a town where the residents have no interest. That's not the case here. "It's a good thing, but (police) have to balance what certain people think is a real need but may not be a priority from our standpoint," Fleuter said. "But if I had to choose between the two kinds of towns, I'd pick this." Grimaldi said Fleuter has proven to be particularly suited to the city. "He brings a certain philosophy and quality to the police department," the city administrator said. "The police chief needs to be a person who has an understanding of the community and Scott has that understanding." Fleuter said one of his proudest achievements as chief is the recent implementation of a state accreditation process - and the fact that the APD this month was awarded a certificate of accreditation through the program. "Accredited police departments are few and far between," Fleuter said. "There are only five in Oregon." The program is voluntary and is based on a police department sticking to more than 100 legal and ethical standards, lowering the likelihood of lawsuits and ensuring police accountability. "I've been on committees and boards of chiefs of police of Oregon to get it rolling," he added. "That was something I've really proud of." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -