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Chief
of Police, Twin Falls, Idaho
Lee
DeVore
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I have been in law enforcement for 39 years and have been the chief of police in Twin Falls for the past 7-½ years. I was appointed to the position by the City Manager, with the approval of the City Council, as the result of a competitive testing process. The City started the process with approximately 60 candidates and narrowed the field down to the 5 finalists, who ultimately competed for the job. |
A chief of police is responsible for the operation of the police department and in that capacity a lot of my time is spent seeing that the goals of our strategic plan our met in the day-to-day operations of the department. Our business is a 7-day a week, 24 hour a day, 365 day a year business, so Mondays can be especially busy catching up on all that went on over the weekend. There are approximately 80 full and part time employees that I am responsible for. Our overall mission is to provide a safe environment for our citizens to work and live in and to prevent crime to the best of our ability.
A typical day for me usually involves meeting with and talking with a number of different people. The department is divided into three major divisions, the Patrol Division, Detective Division and Administrative Services Division. I meet daily with the 3 captains who run these divisions to discuss the activities of the past 24 hours, discuss crime trends, internal issues and community problems.
I also meet with the City Manager, my boss, and Council members during the day to address issues of concern to them and advise them of progress on police programs and issues. I also try to find time to talk with the different employees of the department, in their work area, to keep abreast of their issues and concerns.
Another important issue for me is obtaining feedback from the community about how we are doing as a police department and how we can improve. This is a major goal of our department and all employees do this as much as they can. I make presentations to schools, service clubs and community organizations and solicit input from them.
At least a couple of hours or more every day I am returning telephone calls and responding to e-mails from employees, the public, other city departments and the city manager. A typical day might also involve meeting with our employees group, the supervisors group, and others.
I do not typically respond to calls for service in the field, unless I am on a "ride-along" with police officers in the field, however, I will respond to major cases in the field, such as a homicide, officer involved shooting or major robbery, to help evaluate the situation. In these cases I am also responsible for making the press releases and meeting with the media.
Because of the nature of police work, my activities can vary considerably from day to day as various situations arise. I enjoy the interaction with so many different people and especially enjoy spending time with the police officers on the street.
In addition to my other duties, I am the Chairman of the Board of the State Peace Officers and Standards Office, so I regularly attend board meetings held around the State.
Sincerely,
Lee DeVore
Chief of Police
Twin Falls, Idaho
Biography
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