New chief

There’s a new soon-to-be chief in town.

Portland Mayor John Boggs has announced he is appointing assistant chief Josh Stephenson to lead the Portland Police Department beginning Jan. 2.

Stephenson, who first joined Portland police in 2001, will replace chief Nathan Springer, who is retiring after having served as chief since 2014 (see related story).

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen such a smooth transition,” Stephenson said, adding that he wants his appointment to “set an example” for the next generation of officers, of which there are plenty in Portland.

“They may never see this again,” Stephenson continued, adding that new chief appointments often cause friction within the department.

That’s not the case here. Stephenson said he has been groomed for the job for about six months and has told Boggs he expects to serve as chief for at least the rest of his mayoral term, which runs through 2023.

“He’s up to speed on everything,” Boggs said. It was his idea for Stephenson to be ceremonially sworn in live on WPGW radio during Springer’s monthly show Dec. 10, though he won’t officially start the job until 3 p.m. Jan. 2.

Once he assumes the role, Stephenson has goals of upgrading the department’s communication systems, properly training the department’s new officers and exploring how the department deals with what officers commonly refer to as emotionally disturbed persons.

Excessive use of force by the police was highlighted by protests this year and locally in the aftermath of the May 1 officer-involved shooting of Spencer Calvert, 21, Muncie, a 2017 Jay County High School graduate, who charged officers with a knife.

A Portland officer fatally shot Calvert, and that shooting was found to be justified by an Indiana State Police investigation. Officers originally responded to a call about a “suicidal individual who was wielding a knife.”

Stephenson said since that case is still in litigation, it won’t be immediately used for training purposes on how to properly subdue somebody while they’re having a mental health breakdown. Once the case is settled, however, Stephenson said the department may use body camera footage that captured the event for training purposes.

Part of that training is making sure the officers responding to these high-stress situations, which can arise at anytime, are mentally sound.

“I don’t think people realize how the job affects the mental health of officers,” Springer said. “If we aren’t healthy, we can’t help anybody.”

Stephenson has already accomplished one of his goals after successfully lobbying Portland Board of Works to purchase $138,000 worth of new digital radios at a meeting Tuesday (see related story).

The change in communication systems comes in the midst of the planned retirement of communications chief Paula Bonvillian, who also leaves her post Jan. 2.

To replace Springer and police officer Steve Schlechty, who is set to retire in February, Stephenson said the department plans to hire two new officers and have a designated code enforcement officer.

This code officer will be especially important as Boggs and the city council are overhauling ordinances. City council voted in November to increase the base fine for a parking violation from $2 to $25, among other changes.

Stephenson said warnings are being issues for violations until proper signage can be installed in the city. Updated traffic code adds another task for the department’s new officers to learn.

Along with the impending retirements, former police chief Bart Darby and investigator Todd Wickey retired in March. Stephenson recognizes he’ll be inheriting a young department, with 10 officers having less than five years of experience.

Despite this, both the current and soon-to-be chief say they’re confident in the new group.

“I feel like this is the best group we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Springer, who has been with the department for 20 years.

“We wouldn’t have hired them if we didn’t think (they could handle it),” Stephenson said. “I still think we’re going in a good direction. We just need to stay that way.”

In addition to serving as a sergeant for Portland police, Stephenson was a reserve officer for the Eaton Police Department, an officer for the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and worked at the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie over the course of about 30 months prior to moving to Portland.