Police Chief Graham refines department reorganization with the coming retirement of Capts. Kern and Hanrahan; post of deputy chief will return

CEDAR RAPIDS - Police Chief Greg Graham is completing a Police Department reorganization plan begun nearly three years ago that has seen the number of top commanders at the department decline and the number of on-street commanders go up.

In the latest step, Graham will reduce the number of department captains from the current five to three, with the coming retirements of two current captains, Bruce Kern and Joe Hanrahan.

Graham also will re-create the post of deputy chief. The department had had an administrative assistant chief and two deputy chiefs, all three positions of which were eliminated in the summer of 2007 during a first step in the department reorganization pushed by City Manager Jim Prosser.

Kern, who went from deputy chief to captain in 2007, will return as deputy chief for a month until his retirement at the end of May. Dick Stephens, who had been the department's administrative assistant chief up until 2007, will assume the slot of deputy chief at Kern's retirement.

Capt. Steve O'Konek and Capt. Bernie Walther will hold two of three remaining captain posts in the new setup, with a third captain being promoted from a lower command slot.

The department has 13 lieutenants, and Chief Graham increased the number of sergeants from 22 to 27 in a reorganization move last summer. The department has 201 sworn officers.

On Tuesday, Graham said the latest step in reorganization will have each of the three captains oversee one of the department's three divisions - administration, patrol or investigations. The setup, he said, will establish a “clear chain of command and span of control” within the department.

Sergeants supervise a squad of officers and lieutenants oversee three squads, the chief noted.

The arrangement, he said, “builds cohesion, consistency and clearer direction and expectations.”

The latest change also will save the department $68,000 a year, Graham said.

The Police Department will present its plans to the City Council this evening.