After meeting for a special session Monday night, Mayor Denny Kunkle tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the Guthrie Center City Council has decided not to put the town’s police department under county control through the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office.

The possibility had been discussed by Council members in recent weeks since the Guthrie Center PD has essentially been a one-man department for the better part of the last five months.  Former Police Chief Michael Herbert resigned back in August to join Sheriff Marty Arganbright’s department as a jailer.  The most recent police chief, Neil Lemke, then resigned in November to take a position with the Waukee Police Department.

As of the January 1 application deadline for the vacant Guthrie Center PD position, Kunkle says 24 applications have been received.  Rod Pavelka, currently the lone officer in the department, will be contacting applicants and setting up interviews in the weeks ahead.  Kunkle says he hopes to have the position filled in about a month’s time.

City Administrator Laura Imerman says the Council’s decision not to align with the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department ultimately comes down to coverage.  She says the hiring of a new police officer for the Guthrie Center PD will allow for more patrol time directly of the city.