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SIERRA VISTA — For almost a quarter of a century, Mark Dannels has been involved in law enforcement in Cochise County.
But Dannels is retiring from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office to become the police chief of Coquille, Ore.
He, his wife, Nickie, and two of their three boys still at home — Ryan, 16, and Corey, 12 — will be leaving for Oregon late this week, where Dannels will be in charge of nine officers in the community of about 5,000 residents. Son Justin, 19, attends college in Reno, Nev.
“It was a decision we made as a family,” he said. “It’s another step in my career.”
 Mark Dannels |
But there are some regrets, especially when it comes leaving as the Buena High School boys and girls soccer coach, as well as saying goodbye to friends in the local communities and in the area’s law enforcement agencies.
He has already approached the high school in Coquille, and it appears there is a possibility for him to be involved in boys soccer there.
When it comes to soccer, Dannels said, “I can’t get it out of my blood.”
Coquille is the county seat for Coos County and is about 11 miles from the Pacific Ocean in a timber and fishing region, he said.
“It’s beautiful,” Dannels added.
And, yes, he knows it rains a lot in Oregon.
“But I’ve still got my Cochise County sheriff’s raincoat,” Dannels said with a laugh.
Coquille City Manager Terence O’Connor said that unlike Southern Arizona where rain is measured in inches, “we do it in feet.” It’s not unusual for the area to receive 6 feet of rain or more in a year.
“Mark is about to give up 356 days of sunshine for 356 days of rain a year,” O’Connor said with a hearty laugh.
Dannels’ son Ryan, who enjoys surfing, but is limited in Sierra Vista to going along streets flowing with monsoon rains, got on his board and did some surfing when the family went to Coquille for the final portion of the selection process. This sold the teen on Oregon, Dannels said.
There were five finalists for the job, and the final selection process, developed by the Oregon Chiefs of Police Association, was tough, he said.
The candidates, including one sergeant from within the department, were put through grueling days. There was a day of assessment during which a council member, business leader and community resident, along with five chiefs from different Oregon departments, put the candidates go through six scenarios that included preparing a budget, disciplining an officer and handling an irate citizen.
At the end of the day, “Mark was first,” but the second-place person was only two-tenths of a point behind him, O’Connor said.
Besides the in-house candidate, the other competitors besides Dannels were from Colorado, Michigan and Nevada.
The second day had the candidates go before three council members, the county district attorney, school superintendent, a local physician, community members and others, the city manager commented. Again, Dannels came out on top, but the point spread from him to the fourth-place person was only one point, O’Connor noted.
The night of the second day, the candidates participated in a meet-and-greet with community residents, “some of whom have thrown (verbal) rocks at the department in the past,” he said.
O’Connor said Dannels did well, and that was due to his history of community involvement as an Arizona law enforcement officer.
Describing Coquille as a town that has similar law enforcement problems of any community in the United States, Dannels said he believes the major issues are less than what many areas are suffering.
The officers of the department are professional, well-trained and “have high standards,” he said. The city has a new police building and city hall.
O’Connor agrees, saying he and the community wanted a person who will lead the Coquille Police Department and mentor the younger officers and help them grow professionally.
One of the first missions for Dannels will be to upgrade the department’s technology. The police vehicles don’t have cameras in them.
Unlike the 6,000 plus square miles of Cochise County, the city is confined to 4 square miles.
But, O’Connor said, there is a need for a chief to reach out and work with other departments in the area, county, state and other cities, which is what Dannels brings because of his work with many agencies in Cochise County.
The Coos County district attorney saw that as one of the positives Dannels will bring, O’Connor said, adding the Oregon county has a population of about 66,000 people.
Of course, there will be some differences for Dannels to learn, to include Oregon’s more liberal views of personal medical marijuana use and all the nuances of state law, which is much different than how the issue is seen in Arizona, the city manager said.
Born and raised in Illinois, Dannels said as a youth he did a lot of fishing in the Mississippi River, and he is anxious to once again fish, and Oregon is a good place to do that.
O’Connor said the fishing industry is no longer as strong, but it is increasing as a sport. “Timber is still boss” in Coos County, he said.
“I can show him an area two blocks from the old (Coquille) city hall on the river where 35-pound salmon have been caught,” O’Connor said.
Dannels moved to Arizona in 1983 and started as a reserve police officer with the Bisbee Police Department. He then became a full-time police officer in Bisbee and eventually joined the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, working his way up the ranks to deputy commander.
He will be retiring from the Sheriff’s Office this week and will attend a farewell dinner in his honor on Friday before getting on the road to Oregon on Saturday.
When he and the family depart, Dannels said, “Leaving behind my involvement in the community will be the hardest. I’ve always believed in community outreach.”
O’Connor said he and the community are anxiously waiting for the Dannels family’s arrival in Coquille.
“We have a lot of work for him,” the city manger said, promising Dannels will get “some” time to fish.
HERALD/REVIEW senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
CCSO wrote on Aug 13, 2008 11:57 PM:
I wish you the best with everything I hope that you and your family have a safe trip to Oregon. Never loose the Soccer in your blood. You know your always welcome back to Cochise County. God Bless thanks for all the hard work you've given as a AZ Peace Officer and a Soccer Coach. "