Hunter
09/02/26
The Iowa City City Council voted last night to defer a decision to add three new officers to the Iowa City Police Department.
The Daily Iowan reports the council decided to postpone the decision until the council finishes a strategic work session. At the session, the council plans to evaluate crime and police data to determine if additional police officers would be effective in lowering Iowa City’s crime rate.
Mayor Bruce Teague is among the supporters of the resolution, believing that extra police officers could decrease the crime rates in the downtown area. Councilor Laura Bergus is among those opposing the measure, saying that there’s no data to support the proposal.
The estimated cost to add three police officers to the Iowa City Police Department would be $370,000. Officers are working overtime to make up the gap in current staff, and the city could save at least $88.000 annually in overtime costs if new officers were added.