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Scappoose police report new part-time code enforcement role, plans to restart reserve academy
Summary
Chief Lewellen told the council the department has seven staff members, reassigned an officer into a part-time (20-hour) code enforcement role to address backlog and education-first approaches, and said the department hopes to restart a reserve academy (speaker cited "02/1926") to grow the pool of officers.
Chief Lewellen gave a police department update on Oct. 7 that covered staffing, a new part-time code enforcement assignment and training initiatives.
He said one officer who had been in the field training program will transition to a part-time code enforcement role (initially 20 hours per week) to focus on education, records and proactive code matters; the chief framed the move as retaining an employee and matching duties to strengths rather than discarding staff. He said the department has seven personnel at present, including himself, and is actively recruiting and forming a monthly training committee.
Lewellen said the department plans to explore restarting a reserve academy and cited a target written in the transcript as "02/1926" for that initiative. Council members cautioned that shifting to a more proactive code enforcement posture should balance community relations and noted a backlog of complaints in public works that will limit how fast proactive work can expand.
No formal council action was taken; the briefing closed with council appreciation for staffing adjustments and a request for updates as the program develops.
