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May 10, 2023

OACP Members,

I wanted to take this opportunity to address the entire membership, especially those who were not able to attend the annual conference in Bend in early April.  

First and foremost, I am honored and humbled to take the reigns as President of the OACP.  I think most of you would agree that this is a huge responsibility; an opportunity for which I am profoundly grateful. When I spoke at the Annual conference, I have never been so nervous in my life. I have done countless TV interviews and presentations about the good work of MPD’s staff, but this was a nervousness due to the magnitude of the moment. You see, I admire all of you, some up close and others from afar. The moment floored me when I got up to speak to some of the brightest and most professional people I have ever been around.  

I remember going to my first OACP event 15 or 16 years ago in Seaside. I was a sergeant and remember thinking to myself how invested the group of OACP leaders was, and how they wanted to make the profession grow and thrive. I was used to sitting in my sergeant bubble and this was my first glimpse into what it really meant to lean into issues. Admittedly, the landscape in our law enforcement profession was a bit different: marijuana was illegal, smaller amounts of drugs were not decriminalized, and the homelessness issues we all dealt with were not as massive as they are now. But regardless of whether it is the past or the present, the good work is still being done by us all.   

I want to share a couple of items of interest and importance I plan on pursuing over the next year. Some have been done by chiefs before me and I want to continue their excellent work.  

First, Chief Skinner and I have had conversations about how impactful and insightful it was meeting with law enforcement leaders on his tours around the state. We are often in a bubble in our respective agencies, and I want to get to know more about what is impacting my fellow chiefs outside of my connections in the Willamette Valley. We have so many new chiefs and leaders in our organization that it is going to be imperative that I carve out time to spend with you all to see what is going on and what may be impacting your work.   

Next, I want to continue to expand our virtual training center so that those in our organization can obtain excellent training for themselves and their organizations even when budgets and available time are shrinking. This training center has been a monumental step forward and a massive improvement in the way our leaders can readily access timely information and training to make us better leaders for our organizations and our profession.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, as most of you know the training backlog of agencies being able to send recruit officers to attend basic training at DPSST is way too long. OACP and OSSA have made a commitment to DPPST to work hand in hand to explore and find creative ways to solve this backlog. I know we are all committed to finding a path forward in reducing the academy backlog to get our new recruits through DPSST in a timely manner.  

Furthermore, it is going to be imperative that we work with OSSA and DPSST in finding a long-term solution for academy expansion as it relates to facilities, which will allow them to train recruit officers in a timely way. I’ll state the obvious that this issue is not going away soon, and we need to assist our partners at DPSST in providing data to support the need for expansion. Agencies should not have to be burdened with having to push out hire dates, as viable candidates for these jobs are limited, and they may not want to wait four or five months to get their start date. 
 
In closing, I want to thank Kevin and Marie and the Victory Group for their continued guidance of OACP. We have navigated some of the most tumultuous times in law enforcement over the last few years. We appreciate the work Kevin, Marie and the Victory Group do in advocating for our membership, being a calming voice, and getting us a seat at the table in Salem. I hope I can make your jobs as easy as you have made our association in navigating change. 
 
Thank you and I look forward to this coming year’s opportunities.

Chief Matt Scales
OACP President

 

Coming Soon! Tips and tools for making your association experience a smooth one.

Throughout the summer months, we're going to highlight several  association tips and tools we think will help our members better utilize OACP's platform. The following is a list of some of the ones we will be featuring. Be looking for these helpful hints in the weeks ahead.

  • Utilizing the OACP Training Center;
  • Accessing past Weekly Update newsletters and Board Minutes on OACP's website;
  • Finding past Messages, Invoices, and Submissions on your Profile Page;
  • Utilizing the Member Directory;
  • Reviewing other City Agency Contracts;
  • Sharing College Scholarship Program info with interested college students;
  • Leveraging the Sound Off Forum / Sound Off Index;
  • Highlighting Agency Review and Linebacker Programs;
  • Making the most of the Committee Management System (CMS);
  • Discovering potential vendor partners in OACP's Marketplace.
 

2023 Fall Conference

September 27 & 28 at DPSST

Mark your calendars in preparation for
this training at DPSST.

Keizer Police Department

Chief of Police
Salary: $127,192 – $165,942 annually
Closing date: June 21, 2023
Click here for a job announcement.

Placing an advertisement with the OACP is a great way to expand the market reach of your personnel search. Click here for more information.

Congratulations to New Chief Cal Mitts

The OACP congratulates Chief Cal Mitts on his appointment to Chief of Police of the North Bend Police Department on April 21, 2023. Pictured above is outgoing Chief Gary McCullough who is pinning the chief's stars on incoming new Chief Mitts. Chief Mitts has been a member of the OACP since January 2022. The OACP knows that North Bend Police Department will be in good hands and  wishes him great success in this new endeavor.

2023 Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony

On Tuesday, May 2, DPSST hosted the 2023 Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. The State of Oregon remembered and honored 193 fallen law enforcement officers, and the families they left behind, during this annual ceremony attended by Governor Tina Kotek. The name of one fallen Oregon law enforcement officer was added to the state memorial and honored at this year's ceremony; Brian J. Gaunt of the Beaverton Police Department, EOW 10/24/21.

Oregon News

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'Common sense' effort to raise age of gun owners to 21, ban ghost guns advances
Statesman Journal
Oregon legislation that would ban "ghost guns," raise the minimum age of purchase and possession for certain firearms, and allow local governments to prohibit concealed guns in their buildings and grounds has advanced to the Senate.
Read More

Marion County public defense leader asks Oregon Supreme Court to lessen caseloads
OPB
The legal effort playing out in Marion County is a novel approach, one that relies on data and focuses on the ethical and legal obligations of court-appointed attorneys, rather than the violation of constitutional rights of those charged with crimes.
Read More

State basic police academy seeks to increase class sizes, add night courses to address backlog
The Oregonian
With an average wait of more than six months for police recruits to attend Oregon’s 16-week basic training courses, the state academy wants to add evening instruction and increase class sizes.
Read More

National News

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Washington Governor Rolls Back Limitations on Police Chases
U.S. News & World Report
With the stroke of a pen Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rolled back some requirements for police to chase people in vehicles, a partial reversal of a controversial pursuit policy first enacted in the state at the height of racial injustice protests following George Floyd’s murder.
Read More

Sheriff: Drug Investigations Will Soon Yield Arrests
Salyersville Independent 
Magoffin County Sheriff Bill Meade sat down with Mortimer Media Group last week to discuss the progress of the first four months of his term, including about some of his office’s drug investigations.
Read More

Gov. Youngkin Highlights New Plan to Combat Fentanyl Crisis in Virginia
ABC 13 News
Governor Glenn Youngkin, First Lady Suzanne Youngkin, and state and local officials recognized May 9, 2023, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day in Virginia. To commemorate the day, Youngkin signed an executive order and attended a series of events to fight the fentanyl and opioid crisis.
Read More

 

OACP Weekly Update

Send feedback by contacting the OACP Office at 503.315.1411 or by visiting the website: www.policechief.org