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Medford police vet named deputy chief Panel of citizens helped choose Schoen By JULIE SWENSEN The Medford Police Department has chosen a familiar face as its new deputy police chief. Medford police Lt. Randy Schoen, 44, a 14-year veteran of the department, was promoted to the job effective Feb. 1. He was chosen from about 15 applicants ranging from inside the police department to as far away as Oklahoma. "It makes me pretty excited that our own department grew the new deputy chief," said police chief Eric Mellgren, who described Schoen has highly respected by his co-workers. "He didn't get that job because he was from here, but rather because he was head and shoulders above the group in his performance. That was a very high-quality group." Schoen, one of two deputy chiefs along with Ron Norris, fills a position left vacant when Bill Bruchman retired at the end of 1997. Schoen was chosen in a new type of selection process: A panel of citizens narrowed the field to seven, then recommended Schoen as one of three finalists. The three finalists were interviewed by about 45 members of the police department on Wednesday, and the overwhelming consensus was that Schoen was the outstanding choice, Mellgren said in a prepared statement. Virtually all of those in the selection process said Schoen "has a passion for Medford and for making MPD the best, most responsive and respected police agency anywhere," the chief said. Schoen, 44, comes into his new job with two decades of police experience. He was an officer in Grants Pass from 1979 to 1983, but after budget cuts trimmed his job, he worked as an officer in Lewiston, Idaho. He returned to Southern Oregon and began working for Medford police in September 1984. He was promoted to sergeant and lieutenant before the move to deputy chief. He has a bachelor's degree in managerial leadership from Northwest Christian College in Eugene. He and his wife, Lori, have two sons, ages 21 and 4, and two daughters, 13 and 11. Schoen said it's been a goal of his to be deputy chief, and "I'm looking forward to the challenges that are going to be coming up." He mentioned that new technology will allow the police department to improve its services: Police will be able to query their computer system weekly and pinpoint the types and timing of crimes in small areas of the city, which will enable officers to adjust patrols accordingly. Currently, the computer data is analyzed monthly for large geographic areas. Schoen's first task will be to restructure police patrols in Medford, assigning officers to areas for longer periods of time so they can work with people in those areas and develop long-term partnerships. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA