A Study In Commitment New Police Chief Brings Stability To Department With An Uncertain Future

In his first five years with the Spokane Police Department, Roger Bragdon crashed nine patrol cars.

Only once was it an accident.

“In those days, ramming was a really big thing” if someone ignored a police siren, he said.

Colleagues still remind Bragdon of his deeds as a young patrolman in the ‘70s. Today, police officers are more restrained and professional, Bragdon believes, and he wants those qualities to be hallmarks of his administration.

After holding the post of acting police chief twice, Bragdon, 52, was handed the chief’s job two weeks ago.

Bragdon will continue molding a young force, something observers say is the biggest challenge facing the department. He also will manage a $36 million budget. His policy goals are modest, focusing on community policing and using advanced crime data to head off criminals.

While the city’s most visible agency has progressed beyond the resignation of Police Chief Alan Chertok, its new leader still faces unique circumstances.

Chertok resigned last year with a $65,000 severance package after losing support from police unions and the city manager.

As the city moves to a strong mayor form of government, Bragdon realizes his tenure may be short. He has made a three-year commitment to the job, but will serve at the discretion of the new mayor elected this November.

Bragdon says it’s important for him to focus on the department and not politics.

“In order to be a good police chief, you have to be prepared to be fired,” he said.

By the book

Born in Pittsfield, Mass., Bragdon moved to Spokane to get married in 1971. Before that, he served as a military police officer in the Army. Today, he has two children in college and his wife, Amy, is a school principal in the Spokane Valley.

Days after his arrival in Spokane, he noticed a newspaper want ad for police officers. He took an exam and went before an oral review board. Bragdon recalls a comment from one panelist.

“He told me I would have trouble competing because I didn’t have any college experience.” Bragdon replied: ”I’ve never had trouble competing with anybody.”

That issue didn’t fade away. Bragdon wasn’t considered for the chief’s job in 1998 because he still lacked a degree. And this year, he agreed to take classes at Eastern Washington University as part of his hiring.

Once through the academy, he moved steadily through the ranks, holding most key positions in the department.

His favorite slot was as a sergeant patrolling downtown.

“I found him to be a go-by-the-book guy who wanted to know at all times what as going on,” said Jerry Poindexter, a retired detective who once worked for Bragdon. “He is willing to try new things as long as it doesn’t put the department out on a limb.”

Bragdon admits he may once have been seen as authoritarian. He said his approach has softened, which he attributes to guidance from his wife.

So far, Bragdon has enjoyed support from both police unions as well as City Council members.

“I consider him a fact finder and a solid decision maker,” said Cpl. Cliff Walter, head of the Spokane Police Guild. “I think his credentials are far above anything a degree could give him.”

Walter, who has been on the force for 29 years, said like many young officers, Bragdon was not a “people person” starting out. Now Walter believes he is.

“I was very geared toward arresting the bad guys. I didn’t pay attention to people skills,” Bragdon admitted.

Bragdon said his internal affairs record is clear of substantiated complaints.

However, one of Bragdon’s arrests was reported in a 1981 Spokane Magazine cover story entitled “Violent Cops?”

According to the magazine’s account, two young men who had been drinking at a bar decided to outrun police, first by car and then on foot.

In Bragdon’s incident report - provided to the magazine - Bragdon said he hit one of the men in the head and applied an arm bar wrestling hold once the chase ended.

The suspect, Bragdon wrote, did not obey commands and had his hands near his belt area, as if moving for a weapon.

The man Bragdon detained ultimately was found guilty of resisting arrest, the magazine said. But he maintained he was unnecessarily roughed up by Bragdon and other officers.

The man’s mother formed a support group called Citizens Against Excessive Force that lobbied City Hall and held demonstrations.

Bragdon, who brought up the article during an interview, said he was not disciplined for the incident.

Another police action Bragdon took part in resulted in a lawsuit. In 1989, police raided the home of a family of five, searching for drugs. Bragdon was the lieutenant in charge.

Police found nothing and made no arrests. The family claimed detectives provided false statements to obtain a search warrant. The father said his children were roused while he was held a gunpoint.

The suit, filed by the Terry and Darla O’Connor family, lingered for a decade until it was settled out of court in December.

An even keel

Bragdon likens his personality to his golf game: consistent. He said he scores in the high 70s and low 80s but he does not maintain a handicap.

Most of his goals for the department involve maintaining consistency, as well.

He said he is committed to community policing programs started by former chief Terry Mangan - an effort that has generated good publicity for the department.

He also wants to use technology and information-gathering tools to become more proactive in solving crimes. Two years ago, police set up a planning department. Its statistics trickle down to the patrol units so, geographically, they know where to focus.

In the short term, Bragdon will have to ensure the force overcomes a $500,000 budget deficit, brought on by Initiative 695. With 281 commissioned officers, five openings are being left vacant for now. Eighteen civilian spots remain unfilled.

The department is making up for the shortfall in salary savings so it can fill the positions - a mark it hopes to achieve by mid-year.

Not a politician

Bragdon’s appointment came suddenly. Searches for other top lawmen had taken months and involved detailed public input.

Bragdon said the support he has from city officials was never sought. “I’m not a politician. I never campaigned to be popular,” he said.

With 27 years of service, Bragdon could retire at any time. He strongly considered the move in 1998.

Dorothy Webster, the assistant city manager in charge of the search that led to Chertok’s hiring, said Bragdon’s appointment was in the best interest of the organization, given the upcoming strong mayor election.

While noting she does not like to see a hiring process closed, Webster said she is impressed with Bragdon’s views on diversity and treating people fairly.

Some minority groups, including Eileen Thomas of the NAACP in Spokane, have expressed concern about the department’s treatment of people of color.

Thomas said the department has engaged in racial profiling - the practice of detaining suspects based on ethnicity.

Rusty Nelson of the Peace and Justice Action League supports naming Bragdon chief. But he added, “I share the same concerns that Eileen Thomas has.”

He hopes Bragdon will make sure racial profiling does not occur. Bragdon and the department have strongly denied that it does.

With the length of his tenure in question, Bragdon said he has just one goal: “When I leave, I want the department to have a professional image.”