Fullerton man is top pick for Astoria police chief

Published 5:00 pm Monday, March 24, 2008

Geoff Spalding, now a captain with the Fullerton, Calif., Police Department, is on track to be Astoria’s new chief of police.

Spalding was “clearly the top candidate” among the five finalists who came to Astoria for interviews last week, said City Manager Paul Benoit.

The others finalists hailed from as far away as Massachusetts and Tennessee, and as close to home as Vernonia and Mount Angel. A sixth finalist dropped out earlier.

Benoit said he spoke extensively with Spalding over the weekend and made him a tentative offer, but he won’t seal the deal until a background check is complete.

Benoit will send a professional investigator to Fullerton, he said, and will go there himself to talk with community leaders and members of organizations Spalding listed on his resume, such as the Rotary Club, the Downtown Business Owners Association and the Orange County Training Managers Association.

Spalding, 51, is married with two sons, ages 17 and 19. He said the quality of education here was of

special concern, but after talking with Greg Hamann, president of Clatsop Community College, during the weekend, he thinks CCC will work well for both sons, and they’ll both enroll there.

Spalding said it was a big decision to leave Fullerton, the city he’s lived in all his life. However, after talking it over with his wife and sons over the weekend, “I feel very good about it,” he said. “Everything seems to be falling into place.”

Key to his decision, Spalding said, was the friendly attitude of Astoria residents he encountered here last week. “Everybody was so welcoming. We really appreciate that,” Spalding said. “It’s the kind of place we want to live.”

Spalding has spent his entire 30-year law enforcement career with the police department in Fullerton, a city of 140,000 people, located in Orange County, not far from Disneyland. The Fullerton Police Department has 160 officers and 70 other full-time employees.

Spalding said he is committed to community policing, problem-solving and teamwork among city departments, assets Benoit has said are crucial to the police chief position.

“I’m looking for someone who truly wants to be here, who can work with the department and connect in a deep way with neighborhoods and with the community,” Benoit said earlier. “In addition to what’s expected in the normal course for police – patrolling, traffic – I think there are opportunities to connect more deeply and do some community problem solving.”

Benoit said the challenge was to find the candidate who is the best fit for Astoria, one who understands that police services are part of a broad range of services provided by the city.

“We always work hard to take a team approach to getting jobs done in Astoria, and it takes cooperation between departments, and the public, and individuals and neighborhoods,” Benoit said. “I don’t want departments competing hard for resources. I want departments figuring out creative ways to share resources and get the job done.”

Spalding said the Astoria Police Department has a good group of officers and he looks forward to working with them. He hopes to create more opportunities for training and development and intends to be respectful of the culture of the community. He said one of his goals is to strengthen bonds among all law enforcement agencies in the county and surrounding cities, and with various groups and departments in Astoria.

He said he knows there will be challenges, including a strong interest in having an Astoria officer on the county drug task force. Despite the difference in size, Astoria has the same types of crimes as Fullerton, Spalding said, “but the quantity is lower. There’s much less violent crime, and that’s what really affects the quality of life.”

Spalding started out in law enforcement as a uniformed patrol officer in Fullerton in 1977 and steadily worked his way through the ranks, gaining experience in budgeting, risk-management, communications, records, jail supervision, personnel, training and evaluation along the way. By 1990, he was a sergeant and in 1998 he was promoted to lieutenant. He became a captain in 2002 and is currently commander of Fullerton’s detective division.

Spalding received a master’s degree in emergency management in 2006 from California State University, Long Beach; a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1994 from Cal State Fullerton and an associate’s degree in police science in 1986 from Fullerton College.

In March 2007, he graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, Va. In 1994, he graduated from the Supervisor Leadership Institute of California’s Peace Officer Standards and Training agency.

Named Manager of the Year in 1999, Spalding lists among his accomplishments rewriting the Fullerton Police Department’s policy manual and jail manual; developing the Department of Internal Affairs Manual; and acting as project manager for a new $12 million police facility and remodel and for a public safety camera system for the downtown business district.

The Astoria Police Department, established in 1876, has a $3 million budget. The department includes 16 sworn officers, a support services manager and two clerks, as well as reserve police officers and volunteer police assistants. The department also manages a regional emergency communications center, which has a manager and seven dispatchers and serves 14 other law enforcement, fire and emergency medical organizations.

The new chief will succeed Rob Deu Pree, who retired June 30 after 14 years as Astoria’s top cop, but agreed to stay on for three months while the search for the new chief was underway. Assistant Chief Alan Oja has served as interim chief since early October.

Salary range for the chief position maxes out at $75,000.