PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins plans to retire this Friday and Captain Larry Seymour will take over. Cummins has served 38 years in law enforcement, working in San Diego and Gresham before coming to Prineville in 2015. 

While the shift seems sudden to some, City Manager Steve Forrester says Cummins and others have been working for years to train up the department’s next leaders. Forrester says when Cummins was hired seven years ago, the department was working to get fully accredited and train up leaders from within. "Larry, because he was identified as a leader - Mr. Seymour, who’s now Captain - He was on the ground floor of that." Forrester tells KBND News, "I wanted somebody in leadership, as he worked his way through Sergeants and then on to Captain, to have that skill set; and he’s done that in spades, along with a whole lot of other things." He adds, "It became very clear to us that we had our next chief. And, we have been investing in him: FBI Academy, professional trainings, leadership training, developmental trainings, all these skill sets."

Forrester says, "We wanted to have somebody who’s vested in the community, who has roots here, family here and dedication to our community - ideally, that would be our best candidate. And that’s why we have made these investments and put this time in with Larry. He’s met all these requirements that were set back, literally 8 years ago, on his pathway to becoming our choice - and really it’s my choice - for our next Chief."

Cummins issued a statement Friday saying he’s confident Captain Seymour is the right person to lead Prineville PD.

Photo: Chief Dale Cummins in 2015