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New Iowa City Police Chief Jody Matherly sworn in

Jan. 23, 2017 11:30 am, Updated: Jan. 23, 2017 12:29 pm
IOWA CITY - Newly sworn-in Iowa City Police Chief Jody Matherly won't be taking it easy in his first few days on the job.
'I do want to get right to work,” Matherly said Monday during a swearing in ceremony at City Hall. 'We're going to be going 100 mph for the first few weeks to get things started.”
Matherly, formerly the police chief in Altoona, was named in December as the successor to former Chief Sam Hargadine, who retired in June. After beginning his career as a police officer in smaller departments in Michigan, Matherly climbed the ranks of the Flint, Mich., Police Department from 1987 to 2003. He left the department in 2003 in order to serve as the Grinnell police chief. Matherly became the Altoona chief in 2012.
Matherly said he was drawn to work in Iowa City, which he called 'vibrant and diverse.”
In recommending Matherly to the city council, Iowa City Manager Geoff Fruin touted Matherly's abilities to be a leader both in the community and within the department. During the search process, Fruin emphasized the ability to engage with the community as a trait in the new chief.
During Monday's ceremony, Matherly praised the officers of his new department.
'We're going to be a police department - and I think we already are a police department - that is going to serve you with the utmost professionalism,” he said. 'We're certainly going to build on that.”
And, at a time when police are under public scrutiny, Matherly vowed to stand by his officers.
'I'm going to be very fair with you,” he said. 'I'll stand by you at any given time ... as long as you're doing your best and acting in good faith.”
Matherly will earn $147,014 this year, Fruin said.
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Deputy City Clerk Julie Voparil swears in Iowa City's new Police Chief Jody Matherly during an early morning ceremony at City Hall on Monday, January 23, 2017. (photo via City of Iowa City)
Jody Matherly