The Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office may merge forces with a potential joint law enforcement facility. The discussion first arose due to separate space needs studies conducted by the Iowa City Police Department and the sheriff’s office. 

The sheriff’s office’s study found the jail, which houses the sheriff’s office, had several structural issues. Simultaneously, Iowa City conducted its own study for City Hall, including the fire department and police department. 

Now, the Iowa City City Council is considering options that involve moving the police department to a new location. Discussion of the potential joint law enforcement is still in the early stages but may become a possibility due to several of those factors.

Police Chief Dustin Liston of the Iowa City Police Department spoke more about the discussion of the potential joint law enforcement along with what benefits it could bring. 

“We thought it would be at least wise to look at the feasibility of combining that facility to see if it’s even possible if there could be some cost savings with shared spaces because it would be a pretty big ask of the taxpayers to fund two separate law enforcement projects at the same time,” Liston said. 

The combined unit would not only save costs, but it would unite the two units and create a more accessible and welcoming community facility.

Liston said each department would maintain its own mission, such as the sheriff’s office operating the jail, while the police department would focus on its jurisdiction within the city limits.

Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel echoed the need for a potential joint law enforcement initiative due to current buildings being aged, overcrowded, and in need of replacement.

“We need a new sheriff’s office and jail,” Kunkel said. “The current building is about 45 years old. It’s continuing to fall into a state of disrepair and perpetual problems like water pipes leaking and, obviously, we have structural issues that are now a concern, too.”

According to a report from the engineering firm Faithful and Gould, any building assessment percentage over 60 percent should be considered for demolition.

However, the study conducted by Faithful and Gould in March 2023 rated the jail 104 percent.

Kunkel said if the two departments become housed in the same facility, the needs and duties of the entities would not change. 

“We’re still going to be out there doing those in our respective communities, but we need to make sure we have a good understanding, good agreements in place, and good relationships amongst the agencies and administrators,” Kunkel said. 

Despite the initiative still being in the early stages of discussion, Kunkel is hopeful for the future. 

“We both have agencies that have grown significantly since our current buildings were built, and we need to have a long-term solution for the community,” Kunkel said. “I think there’s a lot of good reasons to go down this road, and I’m optimistic it’ll work out in the end.” 

Iowa City City Councilor Megan Alter believes the potential facility is an opportunity for collaboration, cost-sharing, and improved community response time. 

“I think it has some real potential, and I am excited to see what the final vision is for it and how the logistics will work,” Alter said. “I like to think that this could help with response time. It could help with better coverage for the community and for people in need.”

However, Alter also said the discussion needs to be open to the public during the process to avoid any confusion or negative connotations. 

“I think that this potential effort needs to be very public in its process and very clearly stated to explain what the benefits [are] and why these entities would be joining,” Alter said. 

Over the next months, both departments will continue to convene to discuss further details with the Iowa City City Council, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, and the community. 

“We would need to have plenty of community meetings, a great deal of outreach to make sure that the public was well-informed on what was being asked of them, and certainly what they were going to be asked to vote on, and kind of what are the next steps going forward,” Liston said.