An Update on the North Liberty Police Department

On Sunday night, North Liberty’s mayor, city council and administrative staff were presented with the results of a vote held by the unions representing North Liberty’s police officers and sergeants. The results were signed by one member from each union and purported to indicate broad dissatisfaction with North Liberty Chief of Police Diane Venenga’s leadership.

The document the unions provided offered no explanation. Prior to Sunday, no leadership concerns had been brought to the attention of the Chief of Police Diane Venenga, City Administrator Ryan Heiar or Mayor Chris Hoffman. Absent any explanation, City Administrator Ryan Heiar reached out to members of the department to try to understand the concerns.

On Friday, the unions released a letter to the media laying out their grievances. City leaders were not provided with a copy of the letter prior to its release, and first learned of its existence from a local news station’s website.

With respect to the claims, the city has made no decisions and makes no presumption as to their veracity and, in accordance with standard policy, the chief will be on a paid leave of absence to allow the city to arrange for an independent investigation with the purpose of assessing any merit of the assertions. This is not expected to impact service levels of the department to the community. The City of North Liberty takes employee concerns seriously while simultaneously making no presumption of their merit. Accountability is important for maintaining community trust and a disciplined police force.