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Gold Hill reviews two for chief job By SARA MURPHY GOLD HILL -- In its continued search for a police chief, the City Council is considering two local candidates, Mayor Tim Roddam said Tuesday. The council, which also serves as the city's personnel committee, is conducting extensive background checks on former Ashland police Capt. Mike DeCapua and David Jark, a former sheriff's deputy in Arizona. "We like both of them," Roddam said. "They have a lot of good qualities to bring to the position. But we don't want to make any rash decisions." This is the third time the city has attempted to fill the position since June, when former Gold Hill police Chief Dave Crawford -- the city's only officer -- was convicted of misdemeanor crimes and lost his job. In the two previous searches, City Council members interviewed candidates but never offered anyone the job, Roddam said. "Three years now, people have been hearing about the troubles of Gold Hill and were trying to overcome that," Roddam said. "The only way to overcome that is with the right person." The city contracted with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department for temporary law enforcement on Feb. 23. Sheriff's deputies had responded to emergencies within the city since June, but are now patrolling and responding to more calls based on a priority list approved by the City Council. The $6,400-a-month contract is good until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, or until Gold Hill can hire its own police chief. In the current search, Roddam said the city received four applications from local candidates. Two applicants, including DeCapua, withdrew their applications before the interview. The council interviewed Jark and one other candidate, Roddam said. Several days later, DeCapua apparently reconsidered his decision to withdraw. "He had done some more research after he had withdrawn his name and asked a couple days after the interviews if it was OK with the council to put his name back in the hat," Roddam said. "We'll get a good feel, not just a superficial feel, but a real solid feel for both these candidates," Roddam said. DeCapua was a captain at the Ashland Police Department for about a year before he left the job in January. He oversaw the department's field operations and served as public information officer. "My own goals and objectives are what I want to work on now," DeCapua said in November when he turned in his resignation. DeCapua moved to Ashland from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was on active duty for the Air Force Reserves. Before working full-time with the reserves, he had been a captain for the police department in Juneau, Alaska. The personnel department of the Cochise County Sheriff's Department in Arizona confirmed Tuesday that Jark was a deputy there more than five years ago, but it did not respond to a written request asking what years he was employed. The Rogue River resident was recently an alternate pilot for Metro Air One, a helicopter owned by Snowy Butte Helicopters and used by several city police departments in Jackson County. Jark was then listed as a reserve officer with the Talent Police Department. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA