Alli Walker
SOLON — A little over one year after the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) opened a substation in downtown Solon, city leaders say the move has improved public safety, officer visibility, and has sustained the historic building’s role in community life.
Located at 223 S. Iowa Street, the former city hall, library, and fire station had sat mostly vacant since 2018, used mainly for storage after the city opened a new community center. But after COVID-19, the conversations about what to do with this spaced resumed.
“We didn’t want this building to just sit there,” Solon City Administrator Cami Rasmussen said. “This building has served Solon for decades. We wanted it to continue serving the community, and partnering with the Sheriff’s Office was a way to do that.”
The building now operates as a working office for Johnson County deputies. While it is not fully staffed, officers use the site to complete reports, conduct administrative tasks, and connect to the department’s secure database.
“Even though the cars have all the computers in them because of the design in the set-up, it’s really uncomfortable to type a lengthy report in your car. You can get them out of the car to go in,” said Johnson County’s Sheriff Brad Kunkel. “Instead of the deputy having to drive back to Iowa city to type reports or to download their body camera and car camera they can now go to the substation and do all those things.”
The new location has led to increased patrol visibility in Solon’s downtown area. Residents and visitors often see sheriff’s vehicles parked outside the substation; a presence city officials say provides an added sense of safety. “It’s that visibility that’s so important,” Rasmussen said.
“It’s a visual reminder that law enforcement is active in Solon, and it adds to the small-town sense of security we’re proud of.”
Data provided by the city shows a strong law enforcement presence. In fiscal year 2023–24, there were more than 1,800 calls for service in Solon, including 522 traffic stops, 86 community policing activities, and 167 medical calls.
In 2024, the city also signed a fiveyear law enforcement agreement with the Sheriff’s Office. This agreement parallel’s a similar path taken by a comparably sized and rapidly growing city, Tiffin.
Sheriff Kunkel has promoted these longer-term contracts as a way for suburban communities without their own police departments to secure reliable coverage without the costs of starting independent forces.
“I think having a substation and having a five-year contract with this with the city shows the commitment we have in the community and the strength of the partnership that we have,” said Kunkel. “It’s a really good relationship for both of us and it’s been a lot of hard work by everybody involved throughout along the way.”
While the substation currently operates as a workspace rather than a full-service police office, city officials and law enforcement leaders consider the possibility to adapt this space in the future.
The neighboring city of Tiffin, which has experienced more rapid growth, followed a similar trajectory. Starting with a small office space for deputies, Tiffin transitioned in 2024 to assigning dedicated deputies to the city under its five-year agreement with the Sheriff’s Office.
Doug Boldt, Tiffin’s city administrator, said the partnership with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has been critical in managing the city’s rapid growth.
“We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Boldt said. “We looked at models like Bondurant and Grimes in Polk County. It was about strengthening partnerships, and it’s been very successful so far.”
Despite the similarities in structure, Rasmussen stresses that Solon does not anticipate needing a dedicated police force or deputies in the immediate future. Maintaining Solon’s small-town identity is a top priority. However, it is a possibility they might consider if they feel it’s necessary.
“They [the City Council] are very focused on making sure we are a small town. Small town identity, safe, bedroom community,” said Rasmussen. “We’re a destination community because of the lakes, the trails, the schools. Solon is not a drive-through town.”
“Lake McBride is a destination for recreation in Johnson County and so that just means a lot of traffic and events that come and go through the north part of the county,” said Kunkel. “Whether it’s increased bicycle, traffic or boats and campers and anybody else going out to use it for recreation those individual people always travel our roads and so it has more of an impact on kind of a traffic, maybe vehicle Crashes.”
Traffic stops, which account for nearly 24% of Solon’s law enforcement activity, remain the most frequent interaction between officers and the public . Other common calls include medical assists, suspicious activity reports, and school visits.
Crime rates in Solon have remained low. Across the last two fiscal years, the most frequent serious offenses investigated included theft, domestic abuse, and a small number of drug offenses.
Rasmussen said residents have overwhelmingly supported the partnership with the Sheriff’s Office.
“There’s just a feeling of safety when you see that patrol car downtown,” she said.
As Solon looks ahead, officials are open to reassessing the substation’s role depending on how the city grows. If population increases demand, the city could consider dedicated deputies, similar to Tiffin’s model. But for now, the substation fulfills its intended purpose, preserving a piece of Solon’s history while ensuring a visible, reliable law enforcement presence.
“We value the Sheriff’s Office and everything they bring to Solon,” Rasmussen said. “Opening this office was our way of saying, ‘We see you, we appreciate you, and we want you here for the long haul.’”