Cedar Rapids preparing to launch search for police chief

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids city officials are gearing up to launch a nationwide search for a new police chief to succeed Chief Wayne Jerman, who retired last month after turning 66 and aging out of his certification.

Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said Tuesday in her State of the City address that City Manager Jeff Pomeranz will lead the charge to hire a new police chief with the support of the City Council and the community.

The search comes after Jerman reached a severance agreement with the city to retire after 10 years with the department and a 44-year career in law enforcement. The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, which handles officer certifications, maintained that certifications must expire past age 65. Jerman turned 66 in March. He was paid over $188,000 a year.

The police chief oversees operations of the department that is made up of 270 full-time equivalents, according to the city budget. Cedar Rapids’ population is about 138,000.

Pomeranz told The Gazette the city will look to hire a firm to assist with the search. City staff are drafting a request for proposals to target a firm that has expertise in police chief searches. The goal is to have a firm selected by the end of May and promptly begin the process of looking for candidates, Pomeranz said.

So far, Pomeranz said he took time in the previous two weeks to attend roll call with members of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. He’s working closely with Amanda Grieder, assistant to the city manager and a retired police officer, as the search process gets underway. Pomeranz said police personnel are being included in the discussion as well. Pomeranz said city employees have an internal email they can use to contact him.

“We're really trying to set the tone with being as open and transparent as possible,” he said.

The search process also will involve input from the community and council members, Pomeranz said. The Citizen Review Board that provides oversight of local law enforcement will have representation in the search also.

The consultant will come to Cedar Rapids and meet with a variety of groups and individuals to scope the position and understand the priorities of the community, police department and council members, Pomeranz said.

“What it's all designed for is to get the right people to apply,” he said.

He said the city will advertise the position in a variety of journals, publications and websites with a focus on police chiefs. Once the city has applications, the consultant will help narrow down options — likely to a final five or six individuals.

Internal candidates are welcome to apply, Pomeranz said. The city anticipates the candidate selected to assume the role will likely be a lieutenant or higher rank.

Pomeranz said he will do site visits in the communities where candidates work, and the city will conduct background checks before ultimately bringing a final recommendation to the council for approval. The process is expected to take about six months.

Priorities in a new chief

City officials seek a police chief who is honest and leads with integrity, who has experience in a complex policing environment and can bring new approaches, Pomeranz said.

“We are not oblivious to the fact that we are a safe community, but we certainly have our challenges … so that's going to be important that there's experience there, and then that individual will be able to make recommendations that will help us look at our crime issues,” Pomeranz said.

It’s also important that the next police chief be someone who's willing to work with the entire community, Pomeranz said.

“I want a team builder — someone who can work well with the department because it’s very important to me that our department feels good about who we're selecting,” Pomeranz said. “But also part of the team is the community itself and a critical part of the team is the mayor and City Council, because this is a critical position to us and that's why we're going through this effort to make sure we get the right person to lead the department. Chief Jerman was here for 10 years, so we're looking forward to a long tenure.”

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Cedar Rapids is nearing a tipping point that larger metropolitan areas grapple with as they face a rise in homelessness and violent crime, O’Donnell said, so the next chief needs to be heavily focused on emerging issues.

“If we don't have a safe city, what do we have?” she told The Gazette. “ … We don't want to tip into being like those metropolitan areas where it is all consuming of their work.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com