North Liberty police remain short-staffed after officer-involved shooting

Nearly four weeks after a man died and three officers were injured in a shooting in North Liberty, the community's police department remains short staffed pending a decision about whether charges should be filed.

The three North Liberty police officers involved in the March 10 shootout at 238 Holiday Lodge Road were put on paid administrative leave after the fatal shooting. They will remain on leave until the Johnson County Attorney's Office decides whether to file criminal charges.

A special agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which led the investigation into the shooting, said his agency handed over its findings to the county attorney's office about a week ago.

Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness did not comment Thursday about when her office might decide on charges.

Taleb Salameh, 28, was killed after officers were called to his mobile home about 6 p.m. March 10 in response to a 911 domestic disturbance call. Shortly after their arrival, officers exchanged gunfire with Salameh, leaving him dead at the scene, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office.

The three involved officers – who have not been named – were hit by bullets in the exchange and taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where they were treated and released for non-life threatening injuries.

Because the investigation remains open, details of who fired a weapon and how the incident escalated have not been made public.

The North Liberty Police Department lists 17 officers on its website, including acting chief Diane Venenga, two sergeants and an investigator. Venenga, a former lieutenant for the department, was promoted in February after former chief Jim Warkentin stepped down.

Venenga this week said the city has not started the formal process of selecting a new chief, and she said the officer-involved shooting has not helped to speed the search.

With that job opening and the three officers on paid leave, the department has been down four people since March 10, and Venenga said the department is ready to have them back.

“We have missed the officers greatly and are eager for their return,” she said in an email to a Gazette reporter.

In their absence, other North Liberty officers have volunteered to change shifts or work overtime so all the regular patrol shifts remain covered, according to Venenga. Part-time officers also have increased their hours to help fill the vacant shifts, she said.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Coralville Police Department and Iowa State Patrol have stepped in to help when needed, Venenga said.

Coralville police Chief Barry Bedford said his department has been happy to help and that the process has been fluid – with dispatchers sending Coralville officers to North Liberty when necessary. Coralville police also have occasionally headed to help North Liberty without being asked.

“They are four people down,” Bedford said. “That is a huge deficit for them. So anything we can do, we are going to do.”

In one instance after the shooting, North Liberty officers were tied up with the investigation, and they asked Coralville to take all their calls for a few hours, according to Bedford. The department scheduled officers for that period of time, but Bedford said his agency hasn't incurred extra costs for helping out.

“And we will continue to help,” he said.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office also helped handle some North Liberty calls, but Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said he didn't assign anyone to North Liberty and did not incur additional costs.

In the month of March, the North Liberty Police Department took 1,151 calls for service, made 268 traffic contacts, filed 47 case reports and arrested 23 individuals. Those numbers were up over February, when the department handled 977 calls for service, filed 13 case reports and made seven arrests.

Bill Kietzman, special agent in charge of the Division of Criminal Investigation's southeast zone, said his agency almost always helps investigate officer-involved shootings. And, he said, those investigations can be short or lengthy, depending on the circumstances.

“There is not one that is like the other,” Kietzman said. “It really depends on where it takes place. If it took place in a shopping mall with 140 witnesses, that's different than if it was just the person who was shot.”

Kietzman said his agency wrapped up its investigation into the North Liberty shooting and briefed the Johnson County Attorney's Office on its findings about a week ago. Sometimes the County Attorney's Office will call on the state Attorney General's Office to help make a decision, he said.

“It can be resolved in days sometimes, and it can take weeks upon weeks, if they are waiting on information from the crime lab, for example,” he said.

Kietzman said he doesn't know if Johnson County is waiting on anything from the state lab or if the county attorney has requested help from the Attorney General's Office.

In other recent officer-involved shootings in the area, names of the officers involved were released shortly after the shooting, and the county attorney made a charging decision within 10 days.

Lyness on Aug. 24 said an Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement agent was justified when he shot and killed 24-year-old Ivan Hardemon during an undercover drug investigation just outside Iowa City on Aug. 16.

She announced on Dec. 12, 2011, that her office wouldn't file charges against an Iowa City police officer involved in a shooting on Dec. 4, 2011.

Iowa City police Chief Sam Hargadine said there can be pressure to wrap up investigations and announce charging decisions quickly, but that's not always possible.

“And the top priority is getting it right,” he said.