Off-duty deputies hired to patrol area around University of Northern Iowa campus
CEDAR FALLS IA October 25 2019 — Cedar Falls Public Safety is contracting with Black Hawk County Sheriffs deputies for extra weekend help in the College Hill area near the University of Northern Iowa campus.
For the last four weekends, Cedar Falls has hired two to three off-duty county deputies to patrol around College Hill from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Public Safety Director Jeff Olson said this was to provide relief to public safety officers who have been working increased shifts on the Hill for the last two months because of increased violence and gang activity.
Officers have been burned out by extra coverage needed on College Hill, Olson said. At first, police were willing to work the overtime, but eventually “they wanted some weekends off,” he said.
Recent fights on College Hill, as well as a gang presence, have required Cedar Falls to increase patrols of the area, just a block away from the UNI campus, Olson said.
On Aug. 10, a large fight involving rival criminal groups erupted on College Hill, resulting in a dozen people being arrested for rioting. The area also was the scene of a shooting in January that injured two people and a September fight that damaged a parked vehicle.
“We just want to make the Hill and the rest of the community as safe as we can,” Olson said.
Up to three Black Hawk County deputies are assigned to foot patrols with Cedar Falls officers on weekend nights, he said.
“The regular shift officers patrol the town and handle calls like they normally would,” Olson said.
The deputies are covered by the city’s insurance while they’re working and make $40 an hour, which is cheaper than Cedar Falls’ overtime rate, Olson said.
“This is a practice that occurs all over the country,” Olson said.
Off-duty Cedar Falls officers and Black Hawk County Sheriffs deputies have helped other agencies in the past, such as in Waverly during a concert, in Hudson during Hudson Days or at the Iowa State Fair. Olson doesn’t see Cedar Falls continuing to use the extra help indefinitely.
“Once the weather cools down I imagine we’ll discontinue,” Olson said.
During spring the Public Safety Department will staff up again.
“I think we’re doing the right thing,” Olson said. “Staffing isn’t the issue. … It’s getting our guys relief so they don’t have to work every weekend and work overtime on the weekends.”
