In the year since becoming the new head of the West Liberty Police, Chief Joshua Houser feels that he has made some great strides in the right direction. At the same time, Houser said he still has much more work to do and is ready to hit the ground running.
Houser first joined the West Liberty Police Department in 2017, working as an officer until 2021 before then becoming a sergeant. When asked about how it’s felt being chief, Houser said, “It’s definitely been different from being an officer, but it’s been pretty fun at times. It’s nice to be able to change the department for the better.”
During his time in West Liberty, Houser said that he has seen a consistent rotation of police chiefs and officers entering and leaving the department after only serving for a year or two. This led to staffing shortages, something that Houser had to solve after becoming chief.
To do this, Houser said he focused on finding experienced officers who fit well with the already established team in West Liberty. For his part, Houser also worked on providing these officers everything he felt they needed to do their job well.
“My goal is to make the West Liberty department a place where people want to work,” Houser said. “I want retain good officers, and I want them to be here a good long while so that they can establish a familiarity with the community.”
Houser’s efforts have included providing a pay increase and purchasing improved equipment and new body armor for the department, allowing for a uniformity that was previously lacking.
“As an officer, when you have dingy equipment, it makes your job that much harder. It doesn’t instill a lot of trust,” he said.
Another goal that Houser worked towards throughout 2024 was assuring that the West Liberty Police were able to stand on their own. Previously, the department had to rely heavily on assistance and back-up from Muscatine County officers due to its staffing shortages.
“I was very adamant that West Liberty needed to handle West Liberty,” Houser said. “That was my line in the sand, even if it wasn’t always easy.” There were times, he said, where he had to cover the night shift himself to help with staff coverage and to make sure his officers were still getting their rest.
According to data provided by Houser and the police department, West Liberty saw an increase in the number of calls it saw throughout the year. 2023 saw an average of 206.83 calls per month while 2024 saw an average of 227.66 calls per month. December 2024 saw a total of 190 calls, with the top five call types being vehicle inspections at 41, traffic stops at 15, business checks at 14, and extra patrols and follow-ups, both at 12 calls.
Not only was the department able to handle these calls on its own, Houser said, but they were also able to do more work within the community through their increased availability, helped by the eventual hiring of Officer Jordan Gallagher, the department’s seventh full-time officer.
With another year of being chief ahead of him, Houser said that his next goal is to work with the West Liberty Community School District on establishing a resource officer, believing that having an officer on-site can add to the school’s security and provide advice to resource officers and counselors when certain situations arise. West Liberty is also one of the last districts in the state to have a resource officer, Houser noted.
“The schools have great resources already, this would just be another tool to have in the toolbox,” he said.
Should the district decide to establish a resource officer at its schools, Houser said that the officer he has in mind for the position, Officer Derek Holmes, is already on-track for being a well-rounded source of help through his planned training in sex abuse situations and the D.A.R.E. program.
Houser said he plans to make sure his other officers receive additional training when needed, wanting to keep their skills current with whatever latest innovations are available to them. He also hopes to establish a wellness program for the West Liberty Police Department focused on providing officers with support for physical and mental health.
“I want to thank the community for all its support,” Houser said. “I’m looking forward to pushing things further and giving both the community and our officers the police department that they deserve.”