Promotions create opportunities, challenges for Iowa City Police Department

The second retirement in recent weeks at the Iowa City Police Department will create more changes for the police department.

Last month, Capt. Rick Wyss retired from the department, requiring the promotion of a new captain, lieutenant and sergeant, as well as the appointment of a new investigations lieutenant, training and accreditation sergeant and new crime prevention officer. In the next few weeks, Sgt. Vicki Lalla will retire after more than 35 years with the department.

Lalla has spent the last year and a half as the department's public information officer. She will be replaced in that position by Sgt. Scott Gaarde.

'It's a key position,” Chief Sam Hargadine said of the public information officer post. 'It's the voice of the department for most of the crime and police stories.”

The sergeant vacancy will be filled by officer Derek Frank, who also has spent the last year in one of the department's specialty positions - neighborhood response officer, a position created a year ago to focus on neighborhood issues.

Department turnover - particularly when it involves personnel in key positions - can be both a positive and a negative, Hargadine said.

'It's disruptive; there's no question,” Hargadine said. 'On the other hand, when someone has worked hard for a promotion, you can't hold them back.”

Meanwhile, Frank - a nearly 16-year veteran of the department - said he's looking forward to returning to the late night shift after spending the last year honing the neighborhood response officer position.

'It was kind of interesting from day to day,” Frank said of the response officer position. 'It's always been different. Since it wasn't established, I didn't have a procedure I needed to follow.”

The position was created to be a police department liaison to neighbors, neighborhood associations, landlords and city departments to address specific issues that might take more time or effort than a patrol officer might have available. Frank said his duties varied from season to season and neighborhood to neighborhood. During the summer, he worked with residents and the parks department to address some issues with some juveniles. During the fall, he switched his focus to house parties and noise complaints. Some of his time was spent just mediating issues between individuals neighbors or residents and landlords.

The position is part of the department's community policing approach.

'If you just have questions, if you have concerns, I can devote more time to speaking with you,” Frank said.

Hargadine called Frank the 'right pick” for that new position a year ago. In addition to that experience, Hargadine said Frank has many qualities that will serve him well as sergeant. Frank has been an 'active” field training officer, team leader on the department's special response team and has taken the time to do studies on issues that have piqued his interest, Hargadine said.

'When there's something he's passionate about, he'll take the time to do the research and send it my way,” he said.

A new neighborhood response officer has not yet been selected, but both Frank and Hargadine said finding a replacement is a priority as summer ramps up. Frank said he'll continue to make himself available to neighborhoods and residents.

'Even though I'm leaving this position, I'm still going to be accessible to people,” he said. 'Just because I'm a sergeant doesn't mean I can't address any neighborhood issues they have.”

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