Salem Police Bid Farewell To Retiring Officers

Two long-time Salem Police Officers are retiring on July 30th.

Salem Police Lt. Dan Deitz

(SALEM, Ore.) - Lieutenant Danny Deitz will be retiring after more than 31 years of dedicated service. Lt Deitz was raised in Eugene, Oregon and served in the US Army. He was deployed to Vietnam in the Infantry, then as a Paratrooper serving with the Special Forces. He retired from the military as a Master Sergeant after 26 years of active service and reserves.

Lt Deitz was hired by the Salem Police Department in 1979 and has served as a Patrol Officer, Youth Services Officer, Patrol Corporal, Patrol Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant/Shift Commander, Traffic Control Unit Officer, Traffic Control Unit Sergeant, Personnel and Training Unit, Support Services Lieutenant and Special Operations Lieutenant.

He was an original member of Salem's first SWAT Team, supervised the Tactical Negotiations Team, worked as the Field Training Coordinator and Emergency Operations Group Commander. Lt Deitz is also a State Certified instructor in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Field Training Officer training, and he is a Firearms Instructor and instructor at the Oregon Public Safety Academy.

Senior Officer Larry Schmaltz will be retiring after 28 years of dedicated service to our community. He has served in the Patrol Division, was one of the original Downtown Bicycle Officers, Street Crimes Detective and for the last sixteen years with the Gang Enforcement Team.

Senior Officer Schmaltz is well known for his dry sense of humor and his ability to investigate gang-related crimes. He is the former Vice-President of the Northwest Gang Investigators Association and is recognized as one of the foremost gang experts in the region.

Lieutenant Deitz and Senior Officer Schmaltz have both made significant impacts not only on the Salem Police Department, but also on our community as a whole. Salem Police Chief Jerry Moore stated "Mere words are not enough to express our appreciation to these officers for their nearly 60 years of service to all of us. I've worked closely with both of these officers, and they should be proud of their contributions and accomplishments during their careers."

Congratulations to Lieutenant Deitz and Senior Officer Schmaltz on their long, successful careers, and the Salem Police Department wishes them well in their retirement.