A Changing of the Guard

Dan Evans was appointed to succeed Bob Mendham as White Cloud Chief of Police

A Changing of the Guard 
White Cloud Promotes Sergeant Dan Evans to Top Spot
Story and photo by Charles Chandler
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At their regular December 5th meeting the White Cloud City Council voted unanimously to appoint Sergeant Dan Evans as their new Chief of Police.

​Sergeant Evans was highly recommended by former Chief Robert Mendham, City Manager Lora Kalkofen and the Personnel Committee.  He will take his new position on December 31, 2016 as current Chief Mendham exits to become the Newaygo County Sheriff.  
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The promotion of Sergeant Evans proved to be an easy call because he has a great personal and professional relationship with the City Council and staff.  He has been a very visible and effective policeman... 

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...working long hours on patrol and as Sergeant spending additional hours at the City desk dealing with complicated staff training and patrol schedules to ensure adequate City coverage. In the last year he has also become a favorite of the White Cloud Planning and Zoning Commission by assisting Zoning Administrator Bob Hall with ordinance compliance issues.

Sergeant Evans and family lives in Fremont. Mrs. Tammy Evans is a departmental tech for the Department of Health and Human Services, Step-son, Justin, works as an auto technician at a Ford dealership in Arizona, Step-daughter, Makalah, college freshman and on the volleyball team, Daughter, Grace, 3rd grader at Daisybrook Elementary and rounding out the crew is Tyson, a rambunctious German Shorthair Pointer, and Clone the easy-going cat.

This Near North Now White Cloud Correspondent asked Sergeant Evans a few ‘OK Dan, why?’ and ‘What are you going to do next?’ type questions about his new post.

N3: What attracted you to the White Cloud Police Department?

Sgt Evans: “When I first started in law enforcement I worked at White Cloud Police Department as a part-time officer. Early on at White Cloud PD I gained some very useful training and experience. This allowed me to make myself marketable to other departments. I have always appreciated that opportunity and want to provide new officers the same. I like the small town atmosphere and knowing the people I serve. When the opportunity arose for me to return it was an easy decision to make.”  

 N3: Now that you are the new Chief of Police do you plan on making any significant changes in staffing, policies, procedures, or technology in 2017?
Sgt Evans: “Fortunately I am going to be leading a department that was in very good hands with Sheriff Mendham, so there is no need for significant changes. I will be hiring a full-time officer to serve the citizens of this great community.

In regards to policies and procedures there are no immediate needs to update them; however as the community grows we will make the necessary adjustments. Technology is ever changing and at times a balancing act. Being a small department we must work within the constraints of our budget while still giving the officers the tools to successfully perform their duties.

N3:  As the new Chief of Police do you have anything specific that are going to focus on in the near future?

Sgt Evans: “We are going to focus on problem oriented policing and address the prescription drug and opiate epidemic. This illegal activity projects strain on every level of our community. The officers will be proactive in drug enforcement action and we will be working closely with other agencies to combat this problem in our city.”

N3:  White Cloud is the County Seat and your former Chief Bob Mendham is now the new County Sheriff.  What kind of relationship do you expect to develop between the City Police Department and County Sheriff’s Office?

Sgt Evans: “The White Cloud Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office will have a mutually beneficial and strong relationship. Just a few things that Sheriff Mendham and I have made plans to do is consolidate training and equipment purchases in the future. By sharing training for the officers and deputies it will reduce the need to duplicate instructors in certain areas. Also, a shared equipment purchase will raise the quantity numbers and lower the purchase price for both departments.”  

While Chief Mendham also served in the same capacity for Grant through an agreement between the two cities, Sgt Evans’ duties will be solely heading up the White Cloud Police Department. Grant will be hiring a Chief of Police for their department.