City Council Addresses Reimbursement Agreement For Former Police Officer

Terms of the agreement new police officers sign when they’re hired by the Glenwood Police Department was the focus of discussion at the May 26 meeting of the Glenwood City Council.

The discussion centered specifically on a stipulation in the agreement that requires officers to reimburse the city for expenses associated with their training and education at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy if they leave the the department within four years of their hiring. The wages the officer is paid while attending the academy is also included in the reimbursement amount.

“When we hire new officers that have not gone through the academy, we pay their education to do that. They sign a reimbursement agreement,” said Glenwood Mayor Angie Winquist.  “The agreement is in effect for four years. If they work for us for the entire four years, they don’t pay any of that back, but if they choose to leave within the first year, they pay 100% back. The second year is 75%, the third year 50% and 25% before the fourth.”

The discussion at last Tuesday’s council meeting stemmed from a request made by a former Glenwood police officer, who owes the city over $20,000. He asked to have his monthly reimbursement payments to the city be reduced from $350 per month to $100.

The former officer signed his contract with the Glenwood Police Department in January 2023. He attended and graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy later that year, but resigned in September 2024 after accepting a position with the Council Bluffs Police Department.

The officer left for the Council Bluffs job 20 months ago, but prior to last week’s city council meeting, Winquist said he had made only one reimbursement payment to the city.

“Unfortunately, he hasn’t been paying anything,” she said. “His beginning balance is a little over $20,000. He’s made one payment. It is supposed to be $350 a month and he wanted to just see if we would start taking $100 a month.”

Glenwood City Council member Donnie Kates voiced strong opposition to the former Glenwood officer’s request, noting that under those terms, it would take about 17 years for the city to get the money back it’s owed.

“He was aware of the contract when he started. No, absolutely not,” said Kates. “He knew the contract. He decided to leave – you owe us the money, pay it.”

Kates said he had just joined the city council when the reimbursement policy was implemented by the police department to protect the city financially in a situation where an officer leaves after the city pays for his or her training and certification at the academy. The policy was put into place after Glenwood had lost multiple officers for higher paying jobs at other law enforcement agencies.

“The new guys know what they’re signing,” Kates said.  “If they choose to leave, that’s fine, but you know that you have this understanding with the city that you’re paying this money back.”

Glenwood Police Chief Eric Johansen was in attendance at last week’s meeting and reiterated to council members that new officers are fully aware of terms of the agreement at the time of their hiring.

On Friday, Winquist said the former officer did make his second $350 payment to the city the day after last week’s council meeting. She doesn’t foresee the city pursuing the issue further if the $350 payments start getting made on a regular monthly basis. If not, however, she said the city attorney will be instructed to seek a legal judgment against the former Glenwood officer.

At $350 a month, it will take the former officer approximately five years to reimburse the city for his Iowa Law Enforcement Academy-related expenses.