Gladstone Police Department

Law enforcement agency

Gladstone Police Department

Abbreviation| GPD
Agency overview
Formed| 1911
Jurisdictional structure
General nature|

* Local civilian police

Operational structure
Police Officers| 15
Civilians| 5
Agency executive|

* John Schmerber[1], Chief of Police

Website
www.ci.gladstone.or.us/gladstonepolicechief
Gladstone

Crime rates* (2013)
Violent crimes
Homicide| 1
Rape| 5
Robbery| 1
Aggravated assault| 16
Total violent crime| 23
Property crimes
Burglary| 44
Larceny-theft| 220
Motor vehicle theft| 34
Arson| 3
Total property crime| 298

Notes

*Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.

2013 population: 11,699

Source: 2013 FBI UCR Data

The Gladstone Police Department (GPD) is the law enforcement agency of Gladstone, Oregon, United States.[2]

## Services

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The Gladstone Police Department provides many services to the citizens of Gladstone and the surrounding communities,[2] including:

Patrol
Patrol operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, staffed by uniformed police officers and sergeants. These officers provide 9-1-1 and emergency response, along with responding to routine requests for service and assistance.
Traffic
With portions of Interstate 205 and Oregon Route 99E falling within city limits, in addition to many local roads, traffic enforcement along with accident response and investigation are a major function of GPD.
Detective
GPD staffs 2 full-time police detectives that investigate various felony crimes.[3]
School Resource Officer
The department dedicates a uniformed school resource officer (SRO) for Gladstone School District, along with a high-visibility SRO vehicle.[4]
Municipal Ordinance Specialist
With a focus on maintaining a high standard of community livability, GPD staffs a Municipal Ordinance Specialist (MOS) to enforce compliance of city code.[3]
Reserve Police Officers
In addition to the 15 full-time sworn personnel, GPD maintains an active reserve officer program, fully staffed with 5 volunteer police officers.
Other Services
In addition to the above, GPD maintains a number of other activities and functions, such as a records unit, property and evidence, and a citizen volunteer program.

## Location

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GPD currently shares a building with City Hall, and is located on Gladstone's main street, Portland Avenue.[5]

## Ranks

[edit]

Title  | Insignia

|

Chief of Police |
Lieutenant |
Sergeant |
Police Officer/Detective |

## History

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The Gladstone Police Department was founded the same year as Gladstone itself, in 1911.[6] In a state that was only a little more than 50 years old, early Gladstone was very rural, and its police force spent much of its time dealing with rural problems, such as rounding up escaped livestock.[7] In 1913, a large, rabid bulldog was reported to have been menacing the Gladstone's citizens.[8] Chief Miller's last official act as chief, before leaving the position to be a full-time postmaster, was to kill the bulldog.[9] In 1918, GPD appointed a "special woman policeman" to help with combating the 1918 flu pandemic.[10]

Gladstone fired officer Lynn Benton due to the murder of his wife in May 2011.[11] Benton was fired in December 2011, and was later charged with the murder.[12][13][14] The department eliminated its canine unit in April 2014.[15] In 2014, GPD received accreditation for attaining a high standard of professionalism, making it one of only 20% of Oregon law enforcement agencies to have received accreditation at that time.[16] Chief Jim Pryde retired early in 2015 after issues with the city council over his paid consulting work.[17][18][19]

### Police chiefs past and present

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Source:[6]

* Asa F. Parker (1911 – 1912)
* Morton Bell (1912 – 1913)
* William H. Miller (1913)
* Percy A. Cross (1913 – 1916)
* Victor Gault (1916)
* Morton Bell (1916)
* R.L. Blancharce (1916 – 1919)
* Thomas E. Gault (1919 – 1925)
* J.C. Wallace (1925 – 1928)
* Harry Morrell (1928 – 1934)
* Henry Strebig (1934 – 1938)
* George Fisner (1938 – 1943)
* Henry Streibig (1943 – 1945)
* Fred Smith (1945 – 1946)
* Henry Strebig (1947)
* Louis Biby (1947 – 1951)
* Clarence E. Moore (1951 – 1957)
* William A. Lewis (1957 – 1961)
* Charles L. McCarthy (1962 – 1965)
* William D. Preble (1966 – 1970)
* David R. Clemens (1970 – 1981)
* Max Patterson (1982 – 1990)
* Robert Beard (interim chief) (1990 – 1991)
* Robert King (1991 – 2002)
* Richard Rye (interim chief) (2002)
* Willie F. Grace (2002 – 2008)
* Joe Simon (interim chief) (2008 – 2009)
* Jim Pryde (2009 – 2015)
* Lee Jundt (interim chief) (2015)[20]
* Jeff Jolley (interim to fully appointed) (2015 – current)[20]

## See also

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* Oregon portal

* List of law enforcement agencies in Oregon
* Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

## References

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1. ^ "Chief's Message | Gladstone, Oregon".
2. ^ a b "Gladstone Police Department". www.ci.gladstone.or.us. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
3. ^ a b "Gladstone Police Department Contacts". www.ci.gladstone.or.us. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
4. ^ Bella, Rick (September 23, 2014). "Gladstone's school resource officer showcases hot-looking patrol car". www.oregonlive.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
5. ^ "Gladstone Police Department FAQ". www.ci.gladstone.or.us. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
6. ^ a b "Gladstone Police Department Past". www.ci.gladstone.or.us. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
7. ^ "Municipal Dairy is Gladstone Idea" (PDF). Morning Enterprise. Oregon City, OR. July 4, 1913. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2015.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
8. ^ "Huge Bulldog Mad; At Large" (PDF). Morning Enterprise. Oregon City, OR. July 25, 1913. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2015.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
9. ^ "Police Chief Quits Job at Gladstone" (PDF). Morning Enterprise. Oregon City, OR. September 13, 1913. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2015.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
10. ^ "Special Woman Policeman Now On Duty At Gladstone" (PDF). Oregon City Courier. Oregon City, OR. December 12, 1918. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2015.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
11. ^ Bella, Rick (December 22, 2011). "City fires cop linked to plot". The Oregonian.
12. ^ Mayes, Steve (November 8, 2012). "Former Gladstone officer faces murder charges". The Oregonian.
13. ^ Edwards, Victoria (July 14, 2012). "Bizarre murder still haunts town". The Oregonian.
14. ^ Mayes, Steve (May 20, 2015). "Trial of Lynn Benton, former cop accused of killing his wife, will be postponed for several months". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
15. ^ Wilkes, Byron (April 14, 2014). "Police dogs". The Oregonian. p. A4.
16. ^ Bella, Rick (September 10, 2014). "Gladstone Police Department officially accredited". www.oregonlive.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
17. ^ Rendleman, Raymond (March 2, 2015). "Gladstone Police Chief Jim Pryde's sudden exit leaves lingering issues". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
18. ^ Rendleman, Raymond (March 6, 2015). "Documents reveal Police Chief Jim Pryde's final dealings with Gladstone". Portland Tribune. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
19. ^ Bailey Jr., Everton (March 28, 2015). "Gladstone police chief's early exit caps sometimes-rocky tenure". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
20. ^ a b Bailey, Everton (March 2, 2015). "Gladstone police chief retires months earlier than planned in 'mutual' decision with city". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 6, 2015.