Husband and wife police chief, D.A. are planning smooth exit strategies

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Garfield County District Attorney Cathy Stocker and Enid Police Depart-ment Chief Rick West will retire this year. (Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS)

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March 20, 2010

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle The Enid News and Eagle Sat Mar 20, 2010, 10:30 PM CDT

ENID — This year will see the end of two eras in law enforcement in Garfield County.

The retirement of Enid Police Department Chief Rick West and District Attorney Cathy Stocker should not impact services provided to the public or operations of either office, the husband and wife said.

The chief

West said his last official day as chief will be May 31. By that time, he said the newly hired chief will have had about two months of working with him and learning the ins and outs of being chief.

Two current Enid Police Department captains have applied for the position, which they will test for April 6.

“It was the desire of the Civil Service Commission that the new chief have an amount of time to work with me,” he said. “Either one of them will have an easier transition into the position.”

Whoever is selected by Police Civil Service Commission will serve as interim chief of police until his first official day June 1.

West said because of the Police Civil Service Commission and city Charter, the transition from chief to another often is a smooth one.

“It’s a very structured and organized process, so there are not a lot of problems getting there,” West said. “The advantage we have is that the Civil Service Commission set the test earlier enough for the selected chief to have time to work with me.”

The changes the public will see depend upon the philosophies and ideas of the newly selected chief, West said. He said the most likely changes will affect the department internally, such as the duties of supervisors or assignments.

“It is set up to be a very smooth transition,” West said.

He said the department is good at adapting to adversity, citing the ongoing remodel of the police department and shuffling of offices as construction progresses.

“The main thing is the new chief will start out with a nice, newly remodeled building,” West said.

The district attorney

Stocker has been district attorney for the past 28 years and will remain so after an election for her successor until that person sworn in. The newly elected district attorney begins Jan. 1, 2011. Filing for the position begins in June.

“All employees of a district attorney serve at the pleasure of the district attorney,” Stocker said. “It is up to the district attorney to choose his or her own staff, make his or her own policies and run the office as they see fit.”

Stocker said she has been working on an ongoing project that would help the newly elected district attorney when he or she assumes the role. She and her assistant have been preparing and organizing a three-ring binder with information about running the office.

“For instance, there are a lot of questions on sick leave,” she said. She said every time she’s had to research an issue, she’s added her findings to the binder. “We’ve been doing that for about three and half years.”

Stocker said when she took over as district attorney, her successor ran the district from the office nearest to his home, which was in Blaine County.

“So, I had to learn every quickly things about the district attorney’s budget, leave, etc.,” she said. “All I really could do was take it one day at a time.”

Stocker said she will help the new district attorney adjust to running the office, which oversees a five-county district.

“I intend to spend as much time as possible helping the new district attorney learn about the administration of this district,” she said. “I want this to be as smooth as possible. I have a great staff, and the new district attorney will immediately what an asset that is.”

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Jesse Lamunyon, sales associate and auctioneer with RE/MAX Premier Realtors, said the decrease is related directly to lower oil prices.

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Enid Farmers Market made its debut in spring 2009 and quickly became a popular Saturday morning stop for many looking for fresh, Oklahoma-grown produce, meat, flowers, crafts and even entertainment.

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A new Enid Woodring Regional Airport rescue firefighting vehicle and maintenance building currently is under construction. The facility will house the airport’s firefighting and snow removal

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The plant, east of Enid on South 78th, has about 100 employees. It is a subsidiary of Koch fertilizer LLC, based in Wichita, Kan.

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Husband and wife police chief, D.A. are planning smooth exit strategies
The retirement of Enid Police Department Chief Rick West and District Attorney Cathy Stocker should not impact services provided to the public or operations of either office, the husband and wife said.

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The commitment to victory starts early in a school that has won back-to-back Class B state football championships, has gone to state three straight years in boys basketball and went to state in girls basketball from 2006-08.

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Husband and wife police chief, D.A. are planning smooth exit strategies

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