Johnson County Sheriff’s Office increasing law enforcement coverage in growing Tiffin

The city of Tiffin and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office are working toward full-time law enforcement coverage for the quickly growing city.

The Sheriff’s Office contracts with several small cities in the county to provide law enforcement services so those communities don’t have to fund their own police departments. The office is available to respond to emergencies in those cities, and also agrees to have deputies on patrol in the city for an agreed-upon number of hours each month. The monthly hours required by the contract vary depending on the size and budget of each city.

Tiffin previously had a contract that renewed each year with the Sheriff’s Office under the hourly patrol model, but in recent years the two entities began discussing ways to provide more consistent coverage for the city as it grows.

“Tiffin was on my radar probably before I came into office,” said Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel, who was elected in 2021. “Seeing the trajectory of the growth and the town, I knew we’d have to start having a serious conversation about changing the model.”

Tiffin’s population more than doubled from 1990 to 2000, going from 460 residents to 975. That growth continued at a rapid rate, nearly doubling again in the next 10 years, go 1,947 residents in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The most recent census, in 2020, showed another huge growth spurt for the town, growing 131.7 percent to 4,512 residents in 2020. That made Tiffin the fastest growing city in Iowa.

Agreement will grow over five years

Starting on July 1 of this year, two sheriff’s office employees — a sergeant and a deputy — are assigned full-time to the city of Tiffin. They work out of an office at Tiffin City Hall that was left vacant when the city building department moved into the new public works building last year.

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Under a five-year contract that the city and the sheriff’s office signed last year, the two officers cover 12-hour day shifts in Tiffin, and the night shifts remain under the hourly contract model for the first year.

The Sheriff’s Office has agreed to provide at least six hours of patrol in Tiffin each night, but it will be provided by whichever deputy is on duty, rather than by deputies specifically assigned to the city.

In fiscal year 2026, which starts July 1, 2025, the sheriff’s office will add two new positions to the Tiffin division, and the city will have 24-hour, full-time coverage. Two more positions will be added the following fiscal year, for a total of six officers, according to the five-year contract.

“The benefit there is to doing it this way is the city doesn't have to pay for all those other hidden costs of having a separate police department,” Kunkel said.

“When you have your own department under your umbrella, you have to also think about payroll, and the hiring and disciplinary side of employees, and recruitment and legal representation, all those other things that go with having your own police department,” Kunkel said. “By continuing this relationship, the sheriff's office absorbs all those.”

Each sheriff’s office position that’s devoted to the Tiffin division will be replaced at the sheriff’s office, increasing the total number of peace officer positions at the county level as the number of officers in Tiffin increases.

City’s costs will top $1M by contract’s fourth year

The city hired an outside consulting agency several years ago to examine the feasibility of creating its own police department. Ultimately, the city determined it would be better to continue working with the sheriff’s office.

“That review basically said that our path of least resistance was with the sheriff’s office based on history and based on future growth, and future service, and proximity and a whole lot of things,” said Doug Boldt, Tiffin’s city administrator.

Under the five-year contract, the city is paying the Sheriff’s Office $429,680.16 in fiscal year 2025. That’s 80 percent of the total cost of providing the sergeant and deputy, and includes salaries for both positions, as well as the cost of things like squad cars and equipment.

That is an increase from the approximate $293,000 the city paid for the hourly contract in fiscal year 2024, but Kunkel and Boldt said they believe the new model will mean the city is better prepared for continued growth.

The Tiffin City Council voted unanimously to approve the five-year contract, which was signed in November, 2023.

The contract is set up so that each year the city will pay a larger percentage of the total cost of the program, until it is paying 95 percent of costs in the fifth year. The total cost also is set to increase as additional positions are added to the Tiffin division.

By fiscal year 2029, the city will be paying the Sheriff’s Office $1.2 million for the program.

Tiffin will pay for the expanded law enforcement coverage from the city’s general fund, which is funded with property taxes, Boldt said. As the city’s population — and tax base — grows, Boldt said that growth in revenue will pay for the increased cost of the contract with the sheriff’s office.

Boldt said the Tiffin City Council has worked to keep the property tax levy level over the last nine years, and the city does not expect a property tax increase will be necessary to pay for the first five years of the contract.

Sergeant looks to build ‘community relations’

Michael Hynes, the sergeant assigned to the new division in Tiffin, said he’s excited for the opportunity to build a law enforcement presence in the city by connecting with community members. He’s made a point on each of his shifts to stop by businesses to introduce himself. He also has been meeting with administrators at the local schools to start building community connections.

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So far, Hynes said the people he’s talked to have been excited to hear that the sheriff’s office will be more accessible, with a few officers who are dedicated to Tiffin full-time.

“I fully believe in building community relations across the board. I truly believe that all interactions with law enforcement shouldn’t be negative and if we can kind of get that across, I think you overall are going to have a safer town,” Hynes said.

“The city of Tiffin wins, because now they’re dealing with four to six deputies on a regular basis as opposed to … 16 different deputies. It’s a lot easier for us to foster those relationships and maintain them when there’s a handful of people.”

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com