Gazette Daily News Podcast: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

– Iowa City police searching for missing 12-year-old

– Iowa House bill would give more protections to police

– Capitol Notebook: Bill ending required periodic hotel inspections in Iowa passes state Senate

– Study: Rural Linn County needs 661 more units by 2040

Episode Transcript

Coming up, Iowa City police are looking for a missing 12-year-old boy

And later, Iowa House bill would give police officers more protection from losing their certification

Plus, Linn County needs over 600 new units by the year 2040

Welcome to the Wednesday, March 20 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

First, the Iowa City Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a boy who has been missing for over two weeks. 12-year-old Jaylin Brown has not returned home since getting on the school bus the morning of Friday, March 1. Brown is about 5’11” and 125 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and black pants with white stripes. He was carrying a black backpack. If you have information about Brown’s whereabouts, contact the Joint Emergency Communications Center at 319-356-6800.

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Next, Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would give police officers more protections from losing their certification. The bill builds on the 2021 “Back the Blue” law that penalizes local governments that selectively enforce state or local laws. It also raised penalties for illegal protesting and rioting. House Study Bill 738 was unanimously advanced by lawmakers in subcommittee Tuesday.

The bill would narrow situations in which the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy can revoke an officer’s certification. It would also give the academy the discretion to privately discipline an officer for misconduct. Currently, the state Law Enforcement Academy must decertify an officer who is fired for “serious misconduct”. That’s defined as “improper or illegal action” connected to the officer’s duties.

Iowa Fraternal Order of Police attorney Skylar Limkemann said quote, “What is improper? That is very subjective, and frankly, folks have weaponized the processes to try to go after police officers’ certification, not only here in Iowa but across the country.” end quote.

The academy may revoke an officer’s certification in some cases without the officer having committed an illegal act. The bill would allow the academy to, in those cases, privately discipline an officer or agency without a public revocation or suspension of certification.

Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Director Brady Carney said that giving the academy the authority to punish police agencies would go beyond its current charge and create more cost and work. Carney said, quote, “This bill specifically makes it harder to appropriately deal with bad actors in law enforcement. The academy council is the entity that grants the certification. They grant a peace officer certification in the state of Iowa. And this bill puts a lot of responsibility, a lot of onus on the individual law enforcement agencies.” end quote.

Additionally, the bill would alter how investigations into officer misconduct can be conducted by a law enforcement agency. Under the bill, officers who are the subject of a complaint would have the right to receive a copy of the incident report and video or audio recordings related to the incident in question before being interview by internal investigators.

Law enforcement gave mixed support for the provision at Tuesday’s hearing. Representatives from the Fraternal Order of Police said they support it and compared it to an officer reviewing body camera footage before testifying in a civil or criminal court case.

Iowa Police Chiefs Association President and Johnston Police Chief Dennis McDaniel said that in some of the department’s more serious investigations, like an officer-involved shooting, conducting interview prior to officers reviewing footage can be important in determining facts.

House Bill 738 is now eligible for a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Senate lawmakers passed a proposal that would add fake photos to harassment laws. House File 2240 passed the Iowa Senate unanimously. The proposal says that images or videos that have been altered or faked in an attempt to show an individual engaged in a sex act would be added to harassment laws. This includes depictions created through use of artificial intelligence. It makes these violations an aggravated misdeameanor, which is punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine between $855 and $8,540. The proposal is heading back to the Iowa House for final approval because it was amended in the Senate.

Next, Linn County partnered with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments to study housing needs outside the Cedar Rapids metro area. This was the first-ever assessment of Linn County’s housing needs beyond the Cedar Rapids metro area. It found that rural communities need 661 more units by 2040 and an investment in rehabilitation initiatives to keep up with population growth. The study looked at Alburnett, Center Point, Central City, Coggon, Ely, Fairfax, Robins, Springville, Walker, Lisbon, Mount Vernon, Palo, Bertram and Prairieburg. The study identified three themes. First, Demographic shifts are affecting what a ‘typical’ household looks like as the population ages and household sizes shrink. This means the existing inventory and types of homes in demand won’t match up. Second, there is a critical need for housing rehabilitation programs. Finally, affordability remains an issue for many households.

The East Central Iowa Council of Governments is recommending new construction of affordable housing and a focus on rehabilitating older housing stock to meet needs.

As always, you can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Now, let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today will be sunny. Expect a high of 39 degrees and a low of 19 degrees. Thursday will be cloudy. Anticipate a high of 41 degrees and a low of 32 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com