Chief Chapanar began his Law Enforcement career in June of 2000 as a Reserve Deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. In January 2002, Chief Chapanar was hired at the Coos Bay Police Department. One year later the City of Coos Bay experienced budget reductions and he was one of several new police officers who were unfortunately laid off. Chief Chapanar was immediately hired with the Sweet Home Police Department where he worked as a Patrol Officer for a period of four months before returning to his full-time status with the Coos Bay Police Department.

Chief Chapanar was promoted in 2006 to the position of Patrol Sergeant where he supervised a patrol shift and the Department's K-9 program. In 2011, Chief Chapanar was promoted to Captain, where he served as both the Administrative Captain and Operations Captain. In January 2020, he was promoted to Deputy Chief, a role he served in until being promoted to Chief.

During Chief Chapanar’s career in law enforcement he has held many positions, including Patrol Officer, Bicycle Officer, K-9 Officer, Watch Commander, Patrol Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant, K-9 Program Supervisor, Emergency Response Team (ERT) member and Squad Leader. Chief Chapanar has been a member of the Oregon Police Officer’s Association (OPOA) his entire career, and has held all of the positions on the Executive Board including President. He also serves on the board of AYA.

Chief Chapanar holds his Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Supervisory, Management, and Executive certificates with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. He is a graduate of the Oregon Executive Development Institute and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration.