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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 6, 2006 Interim Phoenix police chief plans modernization By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX — Interim police Chief Rod Brown says he is ready to move this town's police force beyond antiquated vehicles, outdated policy and a short-term leader. Seeking his own replacement, Brown requested authorization from the City Council to hire a "headhunter" who lives in Bend to begin recruiting a new, full-time police chief. Brown, who audited the department as president of Public Safety Liability Management of McMinnville, agreed to serve 90 days as interim chief last week following several weeks of turmoil in the city's police department. After completing a detailed audit, Brown said he was ready to get to work on the most noticeable issues in the department and get the city's police force up to speed during his 90-day tenure. Aside from recruiting a new chief, Brown initiated a lease for a new police vehicle from Auto Additions in Salem for $10,250. Of 12 vehicles owned by the department, one is new, another is five years old and the rest have 100,000 to 250,000 miles of wear and tear. Brown ordered officers last week to only drive the two newest vehicles. With one vehicle soon to be signed for by the council, which could arrive within the month, a second vehicle lease is planned for the next budget cycle. To address policy concerns revealed in the audit — and a decade-old personnel manual for officers, Brown began the process to contract with Lexipol, a California-based company that produces police personnel manuals. The contract comes with a price tag of $3,450 in addition to $1,950 for updates and $810 for ongoing training for local police. As to his replacement, Brown said a professional headhunter in Bend has agreed to contract with the city for $6,000, though the charge is usually in excess of $20,000, to recruit a full-time police chief to take over at the end of Brown's three-month command. Other business, scheduled for discussion at a 6 p.m. workshop Tuesday at the city's Public Works Department office, includes "determining what the council and community want out of their police department." Service levels will be a primary issue, including whether the department should continue services such as vacation checks for residents and the number, if any, of school resource officers. "We'll identify types of service and the degree of service for example, on response to high-priority calls, should an officer arrive within four minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes or should it be done by another agency?" said Brown. While he describes himself as having idealistic goals, he said he was confident the department could see significant improvement within the coming three months. "It's going to be a challenge because there's a lot to do," he noted. "But we're moving in the right direction." Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy