Municipal council officially confirms appointment of new police chief

TR PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Incoming Marshalltown Police Chief and current Capt. Chris Jones (center, holding paper) is pictured next to, from left, Sgt. Chris Roush, Lt. AJ Accola, Chief Mike Tupper, Capt. Kiel Stevenson and Lt. Chad Hillers after the City Council unanimously approved his appointment during Monday night’s meeting. Jones will begin his term as chief on February 1, 2025.

Although news that City Manager Carol Webb had appointed current Captain Chris Jones as the next chief of the Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) had already spread widely prior to Monday night’s City Council meeting, the council was still tasked with approving the appointment . first regular agenda item.

Unsurprisingly, Jones – a 28-year veteran of the force, captain since 2012 and graduate of the FBI National Academy – was confirmed with unanimous support, and council members, members of the public and fellow officers at the meeting heaped praise on it. Mayor Joel Greer took the opportunity to be the first to issue an editorial, clarifying a comment he made to the TR about the hiring decision being a slam dunk.

“It was a slam dunk, but I gotta tell you, the two Marshalltown cops were the slam dunk. And there was no doubt about that. They were so qualified and they work so well together. I’m just really happy with the talent pool we have here,” the mayor said, without specifying who the other internal candidate was.

He added that he asked Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier to suspend the search process because he believed an internal candidate would ultimately be hired, but Greer said there were ultimately two strong candidates who interviewed from outside the MPD. The motion to approve the appointment was quickly tabled and tabled before current Police Chief Mike Tupper, who is set to retire in 94 days, stepped to the podium to share his thoughts on why he thought Jones was such an excellent choice.

The chef joked that because the appointment was so important to him, he even wore his tie and polished his boots. He described the situation as a “full circle moment” – as Tupper awaited his appointment at a council meeting in October 2011, someone he didn’t know at the time stood up and spoke.

‘It was Chris Jones. He came forward and was very eloquent as always and gave a message of support, hopes and dreams for the future. And I don’t know if I ever lived up to his hopes and dreams, but he delivered on his speech,” Tupper said. “And for the past thirteen years he has given me nothing but support, hope and respect. He is one of the hardest working people I have ever known. He is a fantastic officer, a great leader and a great friend. We have been through some tough times as a community, and Chris has helped us through them and gotten us through them.”

Tupper added that approving the lease was an easy decision for the council.

“I have every confidence that he will be the best police chief you’ve ever had, and I look forward to seeing what he does,” he said. “And he doesn’t need my advice, but if he wants it, I guess I’ll give it to him anyway. But I would just tell him to be true to his ideals, be true to himself (and) be himself. When times get tough, you can rely on your education, your training, your experience and, most importantly, your team. And always fight forward. I want to thank Chris Jones for all he has done for this police department and this community for almost 29 years, and I couldn’t be more excited for him. From the Tupper family we wish him the best and congratulations.”

Lonnie Hogeland spoke highly of Tupper, recalling the first time they met at Hogeland’s office, and MPD Sgt. Chris Roush said the goal of officers coming through the ranks was always “beat Jones.”

“He still seemed to come out on top a lot of the time. We used to call this the Jones advantage because it seemed like he won out of thin air, but it really comes down to the hard work he puts in. I can say that the people I know in the department were happy that Captain Jones will be our next police chief,” Roush said.

Firefighter Dan Oswald said Jones showed up “out of nowhere” during a recent medical call and helped even when he was not obligated to do so.

“That’s something we don’t see very often. Police officers are not required to appear on these types of calls. He came out and helped where he could, and that was pretty awesome. You hired a great person,” he said.

Councilman Gary Thompson noted that a few officers who contacted him were “very happy” with the choice. The original motion passed unanimously 7-0.

Tupper, who plans to retire on January 31, 2025, shared a subsequent statement expressing his excitement about the appointment.

“The Marshalltown Police Department is excited for Chris Jones and his family. We join them in celebrating the news of his appointment as Chief of Police for the City of Marshalltown. Chris has served our community with honor and integrity since March 1996. Chris has performed virtually every assignment available within the Police Department and has excelled in all of them,” the chief said of his future successor. “Chris is one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. More importantly, Chris is an excellent husband, father, friend, mentor and community member. Chris will lead the department forward with a servant’s heart and empathy for everyone he comes into contact with. The Marshalltown Police Department will continue to provide high quality services to our community under Chris and his exceptional leadership.”

In other matters the municipality has:

• Approved the consent agenda as stated.

• Approval of the 2025-2026 objectives report.

• Approval of a money transfer to the collective health insurance fund 884.

• Approval of an amended development agreement with Karl of Marshalltown.

• Approved on first reading an amendment to City Code Chapter 77 on parking schedules, adding language regarding parking restrictions during street closures for special events and snow emergencies.

• Approving the second reading of a pair of amendments to City Code Chapter 156.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

[email protected].