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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 17, 2015 5A Polk County News Sheriff’s, district attorney’s offices filling vacancies quickly By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Residents of Polk County may soon see the results of the public safety levy voters approved in May as the county sheriff’s and district at- torney’s offices work quickly to add staff. The election was less than a month ago, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has already picked up two certified officers, both from Monmouth Police Department, Sheriff Bob Wolfe said. One of those officers was former sheriff’s deputy Casey Gibson Wolfe had to let go last year as part of budget reductions. “He came back to us when we got the funding,” Wolfe said. Interviews with several more “lateral” candidates like Gibson — meaning already certified officers who won’t require as much train- ing — are scheduled over the next few weeks. At the same time, the office has received more than 100 applica- tions for non-certified spots. Anyone hired out of that group would have to be sent through 16 weeks of officer training and, after that, supervised field training. Wolfe said it will take 18 to 24 months for those deputies to be able to function on their own. For that reason, the office has placed a priority on hiring already certified officers. Depending on how the inter- views with that group goes over the next few weeks, patrol shifts could increase to 20 hours per day by August or September. Wolfe also is placing a priority on getting the Polk County Intera- gency Narcotics Team (POINT) ac- tive again. “We are moving, but we are also being careful,” Wolfe said. “I would rather be a little bit slower and make sure we get it done right.” OBITUARIES James C. Martensen April 22, 1928 – June 7, 2015 James C. Martensen, 87, of Dallas, formerly of Flo- rence died June 7 in Dallas. He and his wife lived in Dal- las for the past two years with their daughter, Carol. He was born to Joseph Henry Martensen and Clara Pearl Dunlap in Westfir. In 1951, he married Hazel Elma Sisson, and they lived in Tillamook where he worked as a school bus driv- er. The couple later moved to Florence with their two children and they lived there for more than 60 years. He w o rk e d a t t h e Ca n a r y sawmill for 10 years and owned his own business in the construction industry until his retirement in 2010. James had a passion for trains, music and dancing. Survivors include his wife, Hazel; daughters, Carol Massey and Merry Berg; and four grandchildren. Memorial service is July 4 at 1 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1961 SE Miller Ave., Dallas. Hanna E. Mills June 6, 2015 Hanna E. Mills, 84, of Dal- las died June 6 in Dallas. She was born in Germany. She met Dale E. Mills while he was in the military sta- tioned in Germany. They married on May 18, 1971, in Kaiser Slautrn, Germany. She became a U.S. citizen after moving here in 1972. She was very patriotic for the USA and loved animals. Survivors include her daughter, Linda (Otto) Bonaf of Germany; stepdaughter, Marjorie (Howard) Malm of Dallas; and five grandchil- dren. Private burial will be at Dallas Cemetery. Contributions are sug- gested to Willamette Valley Hospice or the Humane So- ciety. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online condolence: www.dallastrib- ute.com. Diane Lee Elliott March 7, 1948 – May 26, 2015 Diane Lee Elliott, 67, of Dallas died May 26 in Dallas. She was born in Ingle- wood, Calif., to Benjamin and Mari- on Elliott. Diane loved to take pic- tures, read, study the Bible and a t t e n d church with her friends. She was preceded in d e a t h by h e r b r o t h e r, Dwaine. Survivors include her brothers, Dennis, Dale and Dean; children, Rachel Wid- gren and Russell Boulware; and several grandchildren. Diane’s memory will be celebrated on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Ash Creek Bible Church, 1483 16th St. N., Monmouth. Lunch will be served following the celebra- tion. Glen Edward Clark May 6, 1941 – June 13, 2015 Glen Clark, 74, of Salem died June 13 in Salem. Glen taught social studies and was the boys head bas- ketball coach at Central High School in Independ- ence, leading the Panthers to a state championship in 1975. In 1986, Glen became vice principal/athletic director at Dallas High School, and in 1990, he went to Salem and was the director of counsel- ing at Sprague High School. After retiring in 2001, he spent the next 10 years working for the Western Ore- gon University Education Depar tment, where he worked to prepare the next generation of educators. Memorial service is Satur- day at 11 a.m. at The Peoples Church in Salem with a cele- bration of life reception im- mediately following. Contributions are sug- gested to World Missions in care of The Peoples Church. More OBITUARIES, Page 6A In the meantime, the office has changed its non-patrol hours call out procedures. With more overtime funding available, the standards on call outs have been loosened, meaning the office will be responding to more incidents during off hours. District Attorney Aaron Felton said in his office the hiring process is “ahead of schedule.” Interviews for all five posi- tions — three prosecutors, an of- fice assistant and a legal assis- tant — were held last week. For the prosecutor positions, there were 40 applicants. “I’m very pleased with the pool of applicants,” he said. “There are a lot of very talented people who want to come work for Polk County.” Originally Felton believed his of- fice could be at full staff by the end of summer, but now that may hap- pen sooner, depending on how quickly those hired can get started. Hiring is underway for the Polk County jail as well. While the levy authorized hiring five jail deputies, Wolfe will be hir- ing up to seven because of vacan- cies. The deadline to apply is Thurs- day, but as of last week, more than 70 applications had come in for jail deputy positions. Expect delays on Hwy. 99 ODOT begins pavement project throughout summer Itemizer-Observer staff report SALEM — A contractor working for the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion began a pavement preservation project on Highway 99W between Amity (milepost 45) in Yamhill County and Hoff- man Road (milepost 62) in Polk County. The work will be com- pleted by Oct. 31. The project will replace the pavement that has be- come substandard throughout this area of Highway 99W. In addition to the grind out, paving and striping, the project includes new bridge rail and guardrail ap- proaches, and improve- ments to the railroad cross- ing where the Portland & Western Railroad crosses Highway 99W at milepost 52, south of Amity. Most of the work will be done during weekday evenings from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., but there will be some daytime work. There will be a one week- end full closure of Highway 99W in late summer to complete the railroad im- provement work. Solution on Page 2A During the full closure, a detour and flaggers will be employed. During all other con- struction, two-way traffic will be controlled using flaggers and pilot cars. Travelers can expect up to 20-minute delays. Temporary signage will be posted at various loca- tions warning travelers of the scheduled work and possible delays. Motorists are urged to be alert while driving through the construction zone, to drive slowly and proceed with caution.