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Gold Hill can't find qualified candidate Search for police chief drags on By KELLY STEWART After a two-month search for a new police chief in Gold Hill, the town has come up empty-handed. Gold Hill civic leaders and three local police chiefs interviewed the city's single police chief candidate and rejected him earlier this month. "Everyone gave him a thumbs-up," said Mayor Tim Roddam. "Then we did a background check, and he just wasn't qualified enough." The candidate is currently a police chief, but he did not have enough certification to meet Gold Hill's needs, Roddam said. The City Council is looking for a candidate with a minimum of eight years of policing experience and supervisory skills. "We're not looking for Superman," Roddam said. Gold Hill still has a good chance of finding a qualified chief, even after this setback, Roddam said. "Realistically, it's not that far-fetched," he said. "It happens quite often that in the first go-around you don't get what you want." The city has a better chance of finding a good candidate if the City Council doesn't drag its heels, Roddam said. Another qualified candidate slipped out of the council's grasp in July, when he accepted another job rather than wait another few weeks for the final interview. The reason: The process took too long. Now Gold Hill has to recruit again. But Roddam is planning to change a few things about the search this time around. He's advertising in a national police network called Law Enforcement Data Systems, on the League of Oregon Cities Web page, and among the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police. In the previous search, he advertised only in LEDS and in the Oregonian newspaper. Applications are due Sept. 3, and interviews will take place within the next week. "We're going to be a little more timely," Roddam said. Two months is "too long to be putting people on hold. We're serious about getting on this." Gold Hill has been without a police chief since June, when former chief David Crawford was convicted of threatening an elderly couple during an off-duty traffic dispute and assaulting a dirt-biker after a chase. To attract better candidates, the city raised the salary for police chief from $28,000 per year to $31,000. The City Council voted against using the Jackson County Sheriffs Department for Gold Hill coverage because hiring a new chief would be more cost-effective and would provide better service, Roddam said. "I believe the citizens of Gold Hill want the best coverage they can get," he said. Currently, the Jackson County Sheriffs Department is responding to all Gold Hill calls, emergency or not. To reach law enforcement, Gold Hill residents can call the following numbers: Emergency, 911; Any non-emergency, 776-7206; Administration/records, 774-6800; Patrol sergeant's office, 774-6824. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA