Police look to prevent 'bad cop shuffle'

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Greg Graham says police departments around the state are sensitive to the consequences of shuffling a problem officer from one community to another.

He noted a “lack of consistency (in Iowa law) in requiring law enforcement agencies to conduct … background checks and certify that the candidate is of good moral character.”

Determining the track record of an applicant with experience in a different community police department sometimes requires creative resourcefulness.

“I can tell you plenty of stories where the employee left their agency and even had a nondisclosure agreement and because the right questions are asked of the right people, the information gets disclosed by someone not party to the agreement,” Graham said.

Even though police departments appear to find ways to skirt restrictions on sharing disciplinary files, “the problem is sometimes we are not asked,” Graham said.

“Smaller departments sometimes do not do a proper background investigation and that is what allows officers to float from one place to another.”