Byram

PENDLETON — A 20-year veteran of the Pendleton Police Department will be taking the reins as the city’s next chief of police on Dec. 1.

Lt. Chuck Byram will be appointed to the position following the retirement of Chief Stuart Roberts, the city announced in a press release on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

“I am honored and humbled to be the individual chosen to lead such a professional and respected group of people at the Pendleton Police Department,” Byram stated in the release. “It would not be possible for me to continue the great work being done at this agency without the support from those within. We, as a team, will continue to provide those who live, work and visit Pendleton with the best possible public safety services that the citizens of Pendleton are accustomed to receiving.”

Byram joined the force as a reserve officer in May 1999, the release stated, before becoming a full-time officer in March 2000. He was then promoted to corporal in 2007, sergeant in 2009 and lieutenant in 2017.

According to Roberts, Byram was one of the last hires prior to then-Police Chief Ed Taber’s retirement.

“He’s certainly capable,” Roberts said of Byram. “He has a perspective to where we were 20 years today versus where we are today, and I think he obviously has ideas and visions of where we go beyond today.”

Pendleton City Manager Robb Corbett decided on the internal hire after a two-week evaluation that included conversations with members of the department.

“I felt it was critical to get feedback from the department personnel before making this decision,” Corbett stated in the release. “In the end, there was overwhelming support for an internal candidate.”

According to the release, Corbett also considered Lt. Tony Nelson, who was concurrently promoted to that rank with Byram in 2017, but Nelson indicated early in the process that he wouldn’t be a candidate due to family and personal commitments outside of the department.

Roberts announced his retirement on Sept. 15 after leading the department since 2003. He cited both family and personal reasons for his retirement and he will be transitioning into a consultant role with Citycounty Insurance Services Oregon (CIS).

Roberts has been lauded for the stability he brought to the department, which Corbett believes can continue under Byram.

“This community has a reputation of being a safe place to live. This department has developed a culture of excellence that I want to perpetuate,” Corbett stated in the release. “The support Lt. Byram has of his fellow officers gives me the greatest comfort that this tradition will continue.”

Byram was born in Klamath Falls but raised in Pendleton after moving to the city in 1980 and became a “product of the Pendleton school system,” graduating from Pendleton High School in 1992. While serving as an officer with the city, Byram has also earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration.

Byram is married with two grown children, the release stated, and he will officially begin as police chief on Dec. 1.