City Considers Increasing Monthly Payback From Departing Police Officers

When a new police officer is hired, it isn’t uncommon for the city of Glenwood to incur between $15,000 - $20,000 in costs for training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, mileage, food and lodging, and wages while the new hire is attending the academy and studying for classes on city time and the cost of paying a replacement or temporary officer while the new hire is in training.

As part of the hiring process, new officers sign an agreement that requires reimbursement to the city should they leave the force within four years of their start date. The payback amount is prorated annually - 100 percent if they leave within their first year of employment, 75 percent in the second year, 50 percent in the third year and 25 percent in the fourth year. An annual interest rate of 6 percent is also tacked on.

The reimbursement agreement is intended to serve as an “incentive” for officers to stay on the force for a few years after they’ve been hired and trained. It’s not uncommon for law enforcement officers to use jobs in communities the size of Glenwood as stepping stones to higher-paying jobs in larger communities. In recent years, the Glenwood Police Department has lost officers to larger agencies like the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol, although those officers had given the city at least four years of service and were not required to provide reimbursement for any of their training expenses. The most recent departure, however, is an officer who left the department to become a deputy with the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. He was in his first year of service with the city and will owe 100 percent reimbursement.

The issue being debated in recent weeks by members of the city council is how much the officers who depart before their four-year agreement has expired should have to pay the city back on a monthly basis. The current rate is $100 a month, but some communities who have similar policies in place, collect as much as $600 a month from former officers.

City administrator Angie Winquist said at $100 a month, it takes some former officers several years to pay back the city after they leave the police force. In the meantime, the city is stuck with paying the expenses of the replacement officer’s training.

Glenwood Police Chief Eric Johansen said he would favor raising the monthly reimbursement to somewhere between $250 - $500.

Johansen said, “It’s meant to be enough to hopefully give them incentive to stay.”

Council members offered differing views on the mattter at their Dec. 4 meeting.

“I hate that they’re leaving, but I don’t want to put a hardship on somebody,” council member Laurie Smithers said. “We are a stepping stone community for firefighters and police officers. I think these men and women are opting out to improve their lives and you can’t fault them for that.”

Fellow council member Holly Jackson said the officers understand the commitment they’re making when they take a job with the city.

“When they sign that contract, they’re adults,” she said. “They know what they’re doing.”

Council member Dan McComb said he’d like to see the monthly reimbursement increased to $350.

The matter was expected to be addressed again at the council’s Dec. 18 meeting.