8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015
Local
What it’s like to be a …
Baker City Police Chief
With college students
choosing majors and high
school students deciding
between college or the
workforce, this series will
highlight one career path
each week in August and
September.
This week, we introduce
you to Wyn Lohner,
Police Chief for the Baker
City Police Department.
Local women
start horse
rehab and
rescue effort
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The BCP: Could you
tell us a little about your
background?
Chief Lohner: Well,
I had a grandfather who
was LAPD for 27 years, so
that was my first familial
exposure to law enforce-
ment, where my interest
started. I went on to get a
degree in criminal justice.
I also spent three years
as a reserve—a reserve
officer with the Springfiel
Police Department, then
moved to central Oregon
where I spent a lot of years
working in the wood prod-
ucts industry, primarily
managing a company that
produced custom furniture.
I was in management at
20 or 21 years-old after
about six months, and I
had a steep learning curve.
I made a lot of mistakes
back then, but I learned.
In the late 90s, a friend
in law enforcement from
Arizona told me about an
opening that had come up
here in Baker City, and I
eventually became a patrol
officer for three years here.
Then I was promoted to
sergeant for a year and a
half. I spent two years
in a lieutenant position,
then in what was called
the commander position
here. In May of 2006, the
City Manager told me I
was interim chief after the
departure of the last chief.
That August I was sworn
in as Chief, so it has been
nine years now for me in
this position.
The BCP: What special
skills and training does one
need in order to be in law
enforcement?
Chief Lohner: I think
my exposure to being a
supervisor in private indus-
try gave me management
skills that surpassed any
other training.
You have to have cus-
tomer service skills as a
police chief. You have to
have listening skills. You
have to be able to com-
municate with all kinds of
people from all walks of
life, from the drug addict
to the elderly woman in
her 90s.
We will work around
and see more mental
illness these days—that
seems to be compounded
lately and we see it more.
As for training? As an of-
fice , you need to complete
84 hours of mandatory
training every three years,
including 24 of those in
Sunny Werner / The Baker County Press
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Chief Wyn Lohner stands outside the police department with the Baker Tower
and City Hall behind.
L-R: Jasmine Short, Ashley Perder, Kimberly
Bullock and Alison Carpenter.
use of force. If you’re in a
supervisory position, you
need 24 hours of leader-
ship training.
• NONPROFIT STATUS IN THE WORKS
The BCP: What’s a typi-
cal day like for you? What
happens when you get into
the office
Chief Lohner: I get into
the office about a quarter to
seven, and check the phone
messages— for anything
critical. I check the email
in the morning. I try to sit
in on the morning briefing
between shifts to see what
happened overnight, find
any training points, and see
what the day shift might
have to follow up on.
Then the day really de-
pends on what I’m doing.
Some days, like if some-
one is out or on vacation
or something, I might also
stand in as chief, lieuten-
ant and sergeant that day.
Like today, I’m effectively
all three. Every day is dif-
ferent and I can fill in as
needed. Sometimes I’m the
officer available to cover
calls, or the second car on
a call.
I think it’s important that
I know how to do and am
able to do all the positions
I supervise.
Working with the media
isn’t really that time-con-
suming of a part of my day.
I do talk with someone
from the media almost ev-
ery day I’d say. That can
be email, or the phone, or
a mix. Then there is some
paperwork.
Like right now we’re at
the end of that three-year
training period I men-
tioned, so I’m trying to
see where everyone here is
with that—making sure ev-
eryone is keeping up with
their training needs.
There are meetings like
City Council and then
other meetings that might
deal with the community
and community safety—
like the motorcycle rally
meeting we just had—that
are about safety but not
strictly having to do with
law enforcement.
There’s also the budget.
As Chief, I’m responsible
for every single dollar
spent in our department’s
budget, so I try to look at
that and dial it down a little
whenever I can.
Then there’s making sure
the supplies are adequate,
vehicles are maintained—
really it’s all facets of the
department. I line out stuff
for staff, like at the front
desk, to do here.
The BCP: How many
people do you supervise?
Chief Lohner: When it
comes down to it, every-
one. Directly there would
be two. Indirectly there are
15 sworn officers, three
non-sworn positions, eight
Reserve Officers and about
a dozen other volunteers,
including our Citizens on
Patrol and Chaplains.
The BCP: What sur-
prised you about your
position?
Chief Lohner: Hmm.
How much you have to
try to have knowledge of
everything that goes on in
virtually every aspect of
your department. Every
patrol officer has the p -
tential of needing to—they
have the responsibility to
make a life and death deci-
sion on any given day.
The BCP: What are your
favorite and least favorite
parts of the job?
Chief Lohner: My fa-
vorite? I’d have to say it’s
seeing the positive effects
we can have in the com-
munity—those victories
are frankly why we’re in
this business.
My least favorite? Al-
though the political nature
of the position has been
very frustrating at times,
the worst part would have
to be the sorrow we see
and deal with.
We typically see people
in their worst moments.
This can be the person who
has gone through some-
thing and is to the point
they’re being arrested, to
the victims, to a family at
the time of a loved one’s
death.
You have to know how
to care for your officers
as well, because different
situations affect different
officers in di ferent ways.
For one office , a call re-
sponding to the drowning
of a two-year-old might
register lower, but to the
officer with a two-yea -
old at home, that situation
could put him over the top.
I have to watch for that
sort of thing, to look for
it, and be able to help the
officer find a way to dea
with those situations.
We lost an officer here
after the dog mauling that
happened two years ago.
Although it ended his
career, he was actually for-
tunate. He has moved on
in life and found happiness
again. For many officers,
those types of traumas
destroy their lives forever.
The BCP: So are you
able to leave the job at the
office with you? Or do you
carry it with you when you
leave?
Chief Lohner: Yeah,
I’m able to leave it here
pretty well now, I think.
There have been times…
It’s like I said before—we
have to find ways of dea -
ing with the stress more
than most occupations.
Law enforcement officers
have twice the suicide rate
compared to average so
you have to find a way to
handle things. For me it’s
the mountains, my faith,
and exercise. It might be
different for someone else.
The BCP: Parting
thoughts?
Chief Lohner: One of
the really neat things about
law enforcement is it’s
constantly changing. You
have to stay up-to-date on
case law, driving tactics,
shooting techniques—it’s
constantly evolving.
Hopefully when I’m
done with all this, people
will remember that I put
the community first, and
whether or not they always
agreed with me, that I tried
to act in the best interest of
the community.
Water boil advisory Baker County to
lifted for Unity
booth at State Fair
On Tuesday, August
25th, water samples for
Unity were driven to
Pendleton where they were
tested by a certified lab.
Public Health Officials
received notice this week
that all five of the tests
came back with negative
results for E.Coli.
The boil water notice
was issued for Unity on
August 13 to protect the
health of the public.
Residents within the City
of Unity will no longer
need to continue boiling
water.
Baker County will be
represented at the Oregon
State Fair’s 150th Celebra-
tion.
The Fair will take place
at the Oregon State Fair-
grounds in Salem, Oregon,
August 28 - September 7,
2015.
Attendance at the 11-day
event was nearly 230,000
in 2014, with larger crowds
expected this year. Those
from Baker County who
are traveling to the fair are
encouraged to stop by.
BY SUNNY WERNER
Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Many little girls dream of someday owning their own
horse and, out here in Eastern Oregon, a large number of
girls are able to realize that dream.
Unfortunately, not all horses have adoring young girls
caring for them. Some are abandoned, some are living in
poor conditions, some are abused, and many end up in
kill pens where they will be euthanized.
Earlier this year, four local women decided to focus
their energies on making a difference in the lives of as
many of these horses as they could reach.
Alison Carpenter, Kimberly Bullock, Jasmine Shorts
and Ashley Perder have pooled their resources and are in
the process of setting up a nonprofit o ganization with the
goal of rescuing and rehabilitating horses.
They have already begun the work, with two successful
rescues to their credit. They have placed these horses in
responsible homes, and are working on saving more.
“I’ve always had a passion for horses,” said Bullock.
“Right now we are just able to rescue, rehab and rehome
one at a time, but our goal is to be able to work with
many more.”
Carpenter is the group’s organization leader, with the
responsibility of getting all necessary paperwork filed.
“We just received our EIN number,” she said, “and we
are working on our mission statement so we can apply for
nonprofit status.
“Ashley is our ‘do it all’ person,” said Bullock. “She
is the one running to get hay, getting everything where it
needs to be, our ranch hand.”
Shorts is the group’s “horse whisperer.”
“She can connect with the horses in an almost magical
way,” Carpenter explained. “She works with them until
they relax and trust her, and then they can learn manners,
and become adoptable.”
The four women are all committed to their dream of a
rescue facility, with stabling and exercise pens.
“With enough room,” said Carpenter, “that we don’t
have to turn any horse away.” Presently the group is pay-
ing for boarding for some of their rescues, but, as Bullock
said, “That gets really expensive and limits what we can
do to save others.”
Equine Dreams has a Facebook page, and has set up a
PayPal account for donations. Once they have their non-
profit status they will be able to give receipts for don -
tions but, at present, those are not tax-deductible.
The women are in the process of reaching out to mem-
bers of the community in the search for a strong Board of
Directors, again, a requirement for nonprofit status
When asked what their most pressing needs were, they
were all in agreement: “We need space!” Additionally,
they will need trucks and trailers.
“When we get a call about a horse in need,” Shorts
explained, “we only have one truck and trailer to use. If
we needed to pick up more, there would be a delay, and
that might put the horse in more danger.”
They are planning to apply for grants to fund their res-
cue operation once they have their nonprofit status. “But
we really want this to be a community project,” explained
Bullock. “We want people to know we are here and can
help.”
The group is determined that the horses they rescue go
to ideal homes. “We will have an application process,”
said Carpenter, “and will be asking for references.”
As they work toward refining their project, the women
want to get the word out to the community that there is
help available and also that donations will be gratefully
received.
Hay, wormer, equipment, vet services, tack and farrier
services are just some of the necessities of running an
equine rescue operation.
Balancing the demands of family and work along with
meeting the needs of the rescued horses is a juggling act
in which all four women are supporting each other.
“We are committed to this project” said Bullock. “We
will do whatever it takes to make it happen!”