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Top officer will leave Ashland police force By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- After less than a year at the Ashland Police Department, Capt. Mike DeCapua is turning in his resignation. "It's with great reluctance that I leave," DeCapua said Tuesday. "But my own goals and objectives are what I want to work on now." DeCapua was hired by Chief Scott Fleuter on Jan. 4 to oversee the field operations of the police department. Until recently, he also served as the public information officer for the department. DeCapua will continue working in Ashland through January to help the city through Y2K and assist in the personnel transition. DeCapua moved to Ashland from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was on active duty for the Air Force Reserves. Prior to working full-time with the reserves, DeCapua had been a captain for the police department in Juneau, Alaska. "He's got solid management skills and he applied those to training and preparing for critical incidents," Fleuter said. "He gave us a leg up on that -- and accomplished quite a bit while he was here." Fleuter said he will take some time before deciding whether to fill the position, one of two captain positions in the department. Lisa Brooks fills the other captain slot that handles dispatch and administrative tasks such as budgets. "We will take some time to look at the organization and structure and look at what we can improve upon," Fleuter said. "We will get input from everyone in the department and other sources if appropriate." Sgt. Rich Walsh is getting a special assignment as operations sergeant to fill in duties while decisions on structure are being made, Fleuter said. "Rich, Lisa, and I will split up and shoulder what we have to for the operations division," Fleuter said. DeCapua said that before he came to Ashland, the chief faxed him a six-page list of goals and objectives that needed to be accomplished in the department. Those have either been completed or are well on their way, DeCapua said. The accomplishments leave him free to pursue other interests. Saying he is a private person, DeCapua declined to be specific about his plans after leaving the department. He said he doesn't plan to move from the Rogue Valley. "This is a time for me to do some reflecting," he said. "I'm going to be happy being on the lookout for things to do." DeCapua said he's been impressed with department personnel while working in Ashland. "I want to compliment the men and women of the Ashland Police Department and the incredible number of hours they have worked on the sexual abuse cases and other cases that haven't gotten as much attention," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA