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Talent reserve cops to patrol Butte Falls until marshal hired By JULIE SWENSEN BUTTE FALLS -- The Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to bring in Talent police officers to patrol its streets until a new town marshal is hired. Former marshal Jared Brown was ousted a couple of months ago after a drinking incident at the Oregon Police Academy cost him his job. Jackson County sheriff's deputies have been helping out since then. "We definitely need some police in Butte Falls," Mayor Jack Brown, no relation to Jared Brown, said at the meeting. The council voted 4-0 to accept the contract, but that's pending their attorney's approval of the agreement. Under the six-month agreement, which goes into effect June 1, Talent reserve officers will provide 40 hours a week of police protection to Butte Falls. They'll respond to calls and patrol the town intermittently. Butte Falls will pay the Talent police department $10 per hour. The monthly cost will be about $2,000, which is comparable to what Butte Falls was paying its marshal. The funds will come out of the town's budget. Talent police Chief C.W. Smith said he doesn't know of any other such agreement. The idea for it came about after Mayor Brown called him to talk about short-term policing options, said Smith, who talked with Brown about using reserves. Smith said the contract benefits his department because it allows his reserves to get additional experience and training. Having reserves patrol Butte Falls won't affect his department because of its "fairly substantial" reserve force, Smith said. The department will recoup its costs with the $10 per hour payment. Among other parts of the agreement, Talent police will help Butte Falls choose its new marshal, perform an audit of the marshal's office and help the new marshal get started on the job. "Just sort of get them up and running," Smith said. The posting for the marshal's position closed Friday; the city has received six applications. The council could begin interviewing candidates as soon as next week. Butte Falls council members and those attending the meeting praised the agreement Tuesday night, describing it as a "no-lose situation" and saying that having an outside agency provide such consultation would have cost thousands of dollars. Brown said the agreement is for six months because the new marshal probably won't get into training at the Oregon Police Academy in Monmouth until July. But the agreement reached Tuesday is revolutionary in more ways than one. It's also symbolic of the major changes in the Talent department. In April 1997, then-Chief Dale Kinnan retired as officials and residents were clamoring for his resignation after a lawsuit was filed alleging racism and other misconduct. The eight-officer department was plunged into turmoil after Officer Rich Rose made public an internal investigation of his actions, which he said was retribution for his testimony against another officer in a federal lawsuit. Smith, a former Jackson County sheriff, was voted in by the Talent council in August 1997 and is credited with major changes in the department's image and professionalism. "There's a degree of confidence in what we're doing and what we can do," said Smith, who said he thinks his department members have shown they're capable of providing professional and excellent service. "I think it (the agreement) speaks well of our department, and what the city has been trying to do with its police department," Smith said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA