David Dostal to be appointed as Cedar Rapids’ next police chief

CEDAR RAPIDS — After 11 months without a permanent police chief and a nationwide search, David Dostal — the only finalist from within the Cedar Rapids Police Department — is slated to be appointed as the local police force’s next leader.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz will seek the consent of the Cedar Rapids City Council at its noon Tuesday meeting to appoint Dostal, 56, as police chief. He succeeds Wayne Jerman, who retired last April after aging out of his certification when he turned 66 years old and signing a severance agreement with the city.

The appointment is not final until the nine-member council approves it.

“David stood out thanks to his extensive background and experience across all areas of law enforcement, his long track record of leadership focused on building strong community partnerships, and the respect he has earned within the department, city organization, and throughout our community,” Pomeranz said in a statement. “I am confident he will do a phenomenal job as our next chief of police.”

The city tapped the International Association of Chiefs of Police and worked with the Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission to narrow a pool of 17 applicants to four finalists for the position. The association used community feedback to create a candidate profile based on a survey and stakeholder interviews to reflect community needs in the next chief.

In addition to Dostal, three other finalists certified by the commission participated in interviews and met with the community Feb. 7:

Community groups participated in interview panels, along with all members of the City’s Executive Team; a selection committee, including a member of the Citizen Review Board as laid out in city code; a six-person focus group from the Police Department; and a community group committed to strengthening community-police relationships. Additional information about the search process can be found on the City website: CityofCR.com/PoliceChief.

According to a news release, Pomeranz selected Dostal as the candidate whose qualifications most closely matched the community-created Police Chief Candidate Profile.

“I was proud to have four highly qualified candidates to consider out of a healthy pool of applicants, driven by a transparent, community-driven process,” Pomeranz said. “I appreciate the Civil Service Commission’s work to present the Certified List and all the community members who participated in the process and shared their feedback with me.”

Dostal’s background

Dostal’s entire career has been with the Cedar Rapids Police Department, where he started as a police officer in 1991. Since then, he has served as a patrol officer, field-training officer, member of the special-response team, bike-patrol officer and instructor and honor guard member. He was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration as a task force officer investigating federal drug cases.

“I am humbled by this opportunity,” Dostal said in a statement. “I appreciate City Manager Pomeranz’s confidence in my ability to serve the Police Department and I look forward to the outcome of tomorrow’s council meeting.”

When Dostal was promoted to sergeant in 2006, he oversaw the Police Officer Reserve Unit, served as a neighborhood association liaison, provided instruction with the Cedar Rapids Regional Police Academy and supervised narcotics/vice in the Criminal Investigation Division. He has assisted in local, state and federal drug investigations during which he worked closely with the Cedar Rapids city attorney, Linn County Attorney and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

As a lieutenant starting in 2016, he worked as a patrol shift commander and then oversaw the Criminal Investigation Division. That encompasses crimes against persons, property crimes, narcotics/vice, youth services and intelligence. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 2023 and was most recently part of the Administrative Operations Division, where he has provided training and oversight for the Cedar Rapids Regional Police Academy and has overseen the Joint Communications Agency, Records, Animal Care and Control and Buildings and Grounds divisions.

Dostal holds a bachelor’s from Cornell College. He graduated from the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police in 2021. He has received several awards and recognitions, including Recruit Officer of The Year, Community Service Award, Commendation of Heroism, Police Officer of the Year, Employee of the Quarter and the Enrique “Kiki” Camarena Award presented by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recognizing Dostal’s efforts to make Cedar Rapids a drug-free community.

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