Bandon residents and city officials learned Thursday of a recommendation by the Police Policy Committee of the Oregon Department of Public Safety and Training that police Chief Bob McBride's certification be revoked.

"I'm upset and distraught," said City Council President David Kimes. "It seems an awful stiff price to pay for the crimes."

The recommendation by the committee is the latest development in the ongoing case against McBride, who was convicted by a Coos County jury in September of five Class-A misdemeanor wildlife violations related to assisting in taking a game bird out of season, using dogs to chase a cougar and failing to validate a bobcat card. The conviction was the result of a 15-month investigation by Oregon State Police game officers.

McBride was sentenced to 36 months bench probation, ordered to pay fines totaling $3,145, serve 400 hours of community service and was banned from hunting for five years.

But McBride and others speculated the sentence might not be the end of his punishment for crimes he said he unwittingly committed out of ignorance of game laws.

"I've said all along they're out to get my certification," McBride said Thursday.

McBride is supervised by City Manager Matt Winkel, who, along with Mayor Joe Whitsett, was unavailable for comment because both are out of town at a League of Oregon Cities conference this week.

Kimes said although he believes the chief should be held to a higher standard, he is outraged.

"I don't see the correlation between the crimes he was found guilty of and pulling his certification as a police officer," Kimes said. "Do we expect him to be as pure as snow? I don't. They need to consider the entire package, not just this one instance. Yes, he made a mistake and he's paying for it."

Others agreed. More than 30 people wrote letters to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in support of McBride, saying he does an excellent job as chief and is not only well-liked and respected by the community but devotes many hours of his own time helping others.

But the committee wasn't allowed to consider the letters as evidence. The committee was given a 40- to 50-page packet from the Oregon Department of Justice of documents collected by the Attorney General's office, including court records, the committee chairman said.

"The letters were in our packet," said Silverton Police Chief Rick Lewis, chairman of the committee and former Bandon police chief, "but we were supposed to only look at the circumstances that resulted in his conviction in this case."

Adrienne Casey, who testified on McBride's behalf as a character witness at his trial and who has been vocal in her support of the chief, said she feels the penalty is out of proportion with the violations.

"I think (if McBride's certification is revoked) they've permanently deprived a career peace officer of making a living in the only way he knows and deprived the city of Bandon of a talented and universally loved police chief," Casey said.

Casey, a former police officer who spent 25 years working in the San Diego District Attorney's office, said while she believes officers should be held to a higher standard, the proposed penalty is unusually harsh.

"Bob is guilty of misjudgment," said Steve Casey. "He has repeatedly apologized and he has been severely sanctioned. Stripping him of his peace officer certification is nothing more than uncalled for cruelty piled on by the state."

City Councilor Colleen Cardas said she's disappointed with the committee's recommendation.

"I think the chief is excellent for the community and it will be a huge loss if his license is revoked," she said.

But Lewis and committee Vice Chairman Stephen Oliver, the Union County Sheriff, said there was little discussion by the committee on whether to recommend revocation.

"The question was whether it should be revoked on criminal grounds or on moral fitness grounds and the committee said yes to both," Lewis said.

As chairman, Lewis doesn't vote unless there is a tie. He said the committee took 45 to 50 minutes to make its decision.

Lewis said because of his ties to Bandon and the letters sent in - some from people he knows, the hearing was difficult for him.

"But in terms of the facts, it wasn't difficult," Lewis said.

Oliver said he also felt strongly about the recommendation.

"When you have a police officer convicted of a crime, it doesn't look favorable to others in the law enforcement community," he said. "We're held to a higher standard and that was the feeling among all the committee members."

That opinion doesn't sit well with McBride, who said he was "stunned" by the recommendation.

"I support the notion that police officers should be held to a higher standard, but I don't believe that standard should be perfection," McBride said in a prepared statement.

"Apparently neither does the (committee) because there are any number of peace officers who have been convicted of driving under the influence - a far more serious offense than mine, who still have their certification.

"Why they've decided to hammer me, sure does make one wonder," McBride concluded.