Submitted photo from the city of PrinevilleDale Cummins was sworn is as police chief Tuesday.

PRINEVILLE — From friendly greetings to miniature goats, Dale Cummins is enjoying the perks and pleasantries of life in the small town where he was sworn in as chief of police Tuesday.

Cummins, the former deputy chief of the Gresham Police Department, joined the Prineville Police Department in the spring as a captain.

The city hired Cummins with the intent of securing a chief, according to Les Stiles, a former Deschutes County sheriff who was called upon to lead the department after the sudden departure of longtime Chief Eric Bush.

Bush, who had served as chief since 2003, was fired in 2014 after the city investigated allegations he misused city funds and violated ethical guidelines.

In the past 15 months — which Stiles on Tuesday called some of the most “fulfilling” in his career — the department has undergone high-level adjustments, and Cummins, 50, intends to continue the charge.

Prineville City Manager Steve Forrester remarked at the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday he thought Cummins would be able to lead the department through what Forrester hopes will be more stable times.

“From the very start we saw in Dale leadership qualities, experience and character” necessary to move the department forward, Forrester said.

Cummins calls his leadership style “value-based,” explaining that he will try “to create a culture where the police officers and the dispatchers … are the ones who come with the ideas to improve the service we provide.”

Cummins says he’ll continue to explore long-term funding options for the Crook County Dispatch Center, which falls under his purview as chief. He intends to promote Sgt. Larry Seymour to captain, and soon the department will promote an officer to sergeant. And further down the line, perhaps another sworn officer will be added to the ranks, which Cummins said includes 10 officers, three sergeants and one community service officer.

Asked to describe the current state of the department, Cummins called it “professional.”

“The thing that’s been neat is, these officers and dispatchers, despite anything that’s happened in the past … they have still done the job day in and day out without a break in service,” Cummins said.

He noted he deeply enjoyed his 25 years on the Gresham force, where a patrol team could be the same size as the entire Prineville Police Department. But he found the idea of a small department, where cultural and administrative changes could be made quickly, appealing.

At any given time, there are typically two Prineville Police officers and two Crook County sheriff’s deputies on duty. While that’s not many, the limited staffing can have benefits, Cummins said.

“The officers are very well-rounded because they’re used to doing investigations completely on their own,” Cummins said. “They go out, they collect the evidence, write affidavits, serve search warrants, do paperwork, do interviews … it’s just impressive to watch.”

Outside of work, Cummins and his wife — they have two children who are in their 20s — have immersed themselves in what he calls the “mini-farm experience,” raising a modest menagerie that includes chickens and miniature goats.

“They actually have little personalities,” Cummins said of the goats, though he acknowledged they could be “little terrors.”

Cummins’ appointment comes at about the same time as another major change in Crook County public safety leadership: Sheriff Jim Hensley announced late last month that he will be retiring at the end of the year. He has recommended that Undersheriff John Gautney take his place.

— Reporter: 541-383-0376,

cwithycombe@bendbulletin.com