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City Council officially confirms appointment of the next police chief | News, sports, jobs

City Council officially confirms appointment of the next police chief | News, sports, jobs

City Council officially confirms appointment of the next police chief | News, sports, jobs

TR PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Incoming Marshalltown Police Chief and current Capt. Chris Jones (center, holding a paper) appears alongside, from left, Sgt. Chris Roush, Lt. AJ Accola, Chief Mike Tupper, Capt. Kiel Stevenson and Lt. Chad Hillers after the city council unanimously approved his appointment during Monday night’s meeting. Jones will begin his term as chief on February 1, 2025.

While news that City Manager Carol Webb named current Capt. Chris Jones as the next chief of the Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) had already circulated widely ahead of Monday night’s city council meeting , the council was still tasked with approving the appointment as the first agenda item on the agenda.

Unsurprisingly, Jones, a 28-year veteran of the force, a captain since 2012 and a graduate of the FBI National Academy, was confirmed with unanimous support, and was praised by council members, members of the public and fellow officers during the meeting. Mayor Joel Greer took the opportunity to editorialize first, clarifying a comment he had made to the TR about the hiring decision being “a failure.”

“It was a piece of cake, but I have to tell you, the two Marshalltown officers were a piece of cake. And there was no doubt about it. “They were very qualified and they work very well together and I am very satisfied with the group of talents we have here,” the mayor said, without specifying who the other internal candidate was.

He added that he had asked Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier to suspend the search process because he felt an internal candidate would ultimately be hired, but Greer said there were ultimately two strong candidates who were interviewed outside of MPD. The motion to approve the appointment was quickly made and seconded before current Police Chief Mike Tupper, who will retire in 94 days, took to the podium to share his thoughts on why he felt Jones was such an excellent choice.

The boss joked that because the appointment was so important to him, he even wore his clip-on tie and polished his boots. He described the situation as a “coming full circle moment”: When Tupper was waiting to be named at a council meeting in October 2011, someone he didn’t know at the time stood up and spoke.

“It was Chris Jones. He came up and was very articulate as always and gave a message of support and hope and dreams for the future. And I don’t know if I ever lived up to his hopes and dreams, but he lived up to his speech,” Tupper said. “And for the last 13 years, he has given me nothing but support, hope and respect. He is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He is a fantastic police officer, a tremendous leader and has been a great friend. We’ve been through some tough times as a community, and Chris has been there for us through it all and helped us get through it.”

Tupper added that approving the hire was an easy decision for the council.

“I’m sure he’ll be the best police chief I’ve ever had and I look forward to seeing what he does,” he said. “And he doesn’t need my advice, but if he wants it, I’ll give it to him anyway, I guess. But I would just tell him to be true to his ideals, to be true to himself (and) to be himself. When times get tough, turn to your education, your training, your experience, and most importantly, your team. And always fight forward. I just want to thank Chris Jones for everything he has meant to this police department and this community for almost 29 years, and I am very excited for him. On behalf of the Tupper family we wish him the best and congratulations.”

Lonnie Hogeland spoke highly of Tupper and recalled the first time they met in Hogeland’s office, and MPD Sgt. Chris Roush said the goal for officers moving up the ranks was always to “beat Jones.”

“He still seemed to come out on top a lot of times. We used to call it the Jones advantage because it looked like he won from the air, but it’s actually because of the hard work he puts in. “I can say that the people I know in the department were happy that Captain Jones is becoming our next police chief,” Roush said.

Firefighter Dan Oswald said Jones had appeared “out of nowhere” on a recent medical call and helped even when he had no obligation to do so.

“That’s something we don’t see a lot. It is not necessary for the police to respond to these types of calls. He went out and helped where he could, and that was pretty awesome. “You hired a great person,” he said.

Councilman Gary Thompson said some officers who contacted him were “very happy” with the choice. The original motion passed unanimously 7-0.

Tupper, who plans to retire on January 31, 2025, shared a subsequent statement expressing his excitement about the hire.

“The Marshalltown Police Department is excited for Chris Jones and his family. We celebrate with them the news of their appointment to the position of police chief of the city of Marshalltown. “Chris has served our community with honor and integrity since March 1996. Chris has worked in virtually every available assignment within the police department and has excelled in all of them,” the chief said of his future successor. “Chris is one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. Most importantly, Chris is an excellent husband, father, friend, mentor, and community member. Chris will lead the department with a servant’s heart and empathy for everyone he comes into contact with. “The Marshalltown Police Department will continue to provide high quality services to our community under Chris and his exceptional leadership.”

In other matters, the advice:

• Approved the consent agenda as indicated.

• Approved the 2025-2026 goal setting report.

• Approved a transfer of funds to the group health insurance fund 884.

• Approved a modified development agreement with Karl of Marshalltown.

• Approved the first reading of an amendment to Chapter 77 of the city code on parking hours with the addition of language on parking restrictions during street closures for special events as well as snow emergencies.

• Approved the second reading of a pair of amendments to Chapter 156 of the city code.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

[email protected].