Troy tries to fill police vacancies

The Troy Police Department is down to new chief Bob McLeod as its only officer, mayor Don Banning confirmed last week following the first meeting of the new city council.

Nick Whiteman earlier this month was hired under a little-used law that allows the mayor to employ temporary officers for up to 30 days while circumventing standard hiring procedures. But when a more thorough background check was completed on Whiteman, various misdemeanor charges surfaced, including an assault conviction in 1997 in Idaho that resulted in six months probation.

“We released him after the followup background check,” Banning said. “There was too much of a liability there.”

Banning and McLeod announced last week that they intended to hire John Thrasher to fill another vacancy on the police department. But McLeod said Monday that Thrasher will only be hired temporarily for 30 days until two permanent officers are selected. 

Thrasher last year was fired as Troy’s resident deputy by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office following an open microphone broadcast that was sexual in nature. The firing occurred when he repeatedly lied to Sheriff Daryl Anderson about the incident.

The Troy Police Commission, an entity required by state law to grant final approval of new officer hires, did not play a role in early discussions of Whiteman and Thrasher.

Last week, the commission reviewed 20 applications and submitted a list of names to Banning.

“They already reviewed them and sent them back to me,” Banning said. “Bob and I will be going through them to get it down to a workable number.”

McLeod said he hopes to perform interviews next week and soon have candidates to resubmit to the police commission for final approval.

“By the end of next week we will do the physical testing and interviewing,” McLeod said.

The commission is made up of chairman Kelly Palmer, vice chairman Ron Rebo and secretary Ed Hanson. Rebo must recuse himself because he applied for the position.

McLeod will welcome Thrasher’s help in the interim, as he has been coving the Troy beat on his own since last week.

(Reporter Canda Harbaugh contributed to this story).