For the week of Sept 25 - Oct 1, 2002

Nevland announces retirement

Ketchum police chief serves 22 years

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

After 22 years as police chief with the city of Ketchum, Cal Nevland has announced his retirement.

"I believe 22 years as the chief of police is long enough," Nevland wrote in a memo to Mayor Ed Simon.

His tenure with the city will end Nov. 30.

Cal Nevland, Ketchum police chief

Nevland suggested a search be conducted throughout the West for candidates with at least five years experience in "upper management of a police department in a community similar to ours."

"This would bring new ideas, while Assistant Chief (Mike) McNeil has knowledge of what has worked in the past," he wrote.

Simon said he began advertising throughout the West for the position this week and anticipates ample responses. He said a five-member citizen panel and the city council will interview and screen candidates in a process identical to one used to hire City Administrator Ron LeBlanc.

"I liked having a citizens’ panel," Simon said. "I liked having the council sit in."

A new police chief should be on board early in 2003, the mayor said.

Simon has met criticism from some city council members and some citizens on his hiring practices. Several weeks ago some council members attacked him for allegedly keeping them in the dark on the hiring of a new planning and zoning administrator, something Simon said he did not do.

Additionally, early this month the city council settled a summer-long dispute between Simon and Nevland over the hiring of the assistant police chief. The settlement granted a Blaine County Sheriff’s Deputy, who was picked by the mayor for the job, $65,000 in damages because the city ultimately turned him away in favor of McNeil.

Simon said he will make extra efforts to avoid controversy this time around.

"I want to make sure the community knows it will be an open process," he said.

For his part, Nevland, 57, said he has watched the Ketchum Police Department grow from five officers and a part-time secretary to 22 people.

"Law enforcement has become more of a profession than it was 30 years ago," he said. "It’s far more sophisticated than it was in the early ’70s."

But police practices did not constitute the only changes.

"The community, of course, has changed tremendously," he said. "I mean, 10 years ago it was a completely different community. There’s no comparison."

Nevland said his immediate retirement plans are to take some time off, before looking for a more relaxing and less visible job.

And, for the avid bird hunter, some days under Idaho’s big blue sky are inevitable.

"I promised my dogs that, before we’re all completely over the hill, we’re going to do some serious bird hunting," he said.

 

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