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Ashland police captain hands in badge after 27 years By JULIE SWENSEN A familiar face in the Ashland Police Department will soon step down. Capt. Mel Clements, who's worked for the department for nearly 27 years, will retire at the end of the month. "He was definitely the one that for years was the go-to guy," Ashland police chief Scott Fleuter said. Clements knew all the history, policies and people in the community, and "he was kind of the `warehouse of knowledge' -- the guy with the answers," Fleuter said. Fleuter said what he'll remember most about Clements is how much he cared about the department and the level of service he gave. Clements started serving Ashland back in March 1972, and he recalled that the department, like the community, was much different then. Police training was minimal, cops had one portable radio to share, and it seemed that officers were out of their cars only if they were writing tickets. The administration was all male. Now, a quarter century and four police chiefs later, Clements said the once-isolated department has become much more proactive: Officers are trained in communications, and talk things through with people where they once might have taken the people to jail. Modern weapons replace the .38 specials they once carried, and all officers have portable radios. Women are in the upper ranks. Over the years, as Clements rose up the ladder to several supervisory positions, he dealt with events from the infamous Halloween celebrations that took over Ashland to the murder of two 11-year-old girls in 1979. The cases in which children were killed, abused or died suddenly were the toughest for him. His breadth of experience landed him as acting police chief when chief Gary Brown left, and he was offered the top job. But because of his impending retirement, he turned it down. "I didn't feel it was fair to the department, knowing I would only be here three years and then leave it," Clements said. Now that he's leaving, Clements plans to stay in the community but will head for a vacation to Hawaii with his wife, Karla. He intends to pursue interests in flyfishing, backpacking, reading, writing and photography. He wants to get a four-year degree, and has a desire to go to massage school. All of those are things he couldn't do with the restrictions of a police job -- the long hours, the calls in the middle of the night. Clements can't say he'll miss those late-night calls, or throwing people in jail, which he calls "the dirty part of the job." But what he will miss is helping people solve their problems. "I'm going to be sad leaving here," but at the same time, he said, great people will keep the department running like it is. His successor, Mike DeCapua, takes over Jan. 22. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA