"The biggest thing I want to do is provide stability, it’s been a revolving door of chiefs and officers,” says Police Chief Josh Houser about the West Liberty Police Department.
“I left a good job to come here to take this job, and I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t think this community was worth it. This is a place worth working at.”
Houser took the helm of the West Liberty Police Department in early January, having just spent several years working for the high-risk probation parole unit in Linn County.
If his name sounds familiar there’s a good reason for that. Officer Houser originally joined the force in West Liberty back in 2017 as part of the night patrol. He left in 2021 for Linn County.
However, when former chief Eric Werling announced in November he would be leaving to take a chief role in Anamosa to be near family, the city suddenly had a spot to fill… again.
Officer Houser applied for the position.
“I loved my time here before; I had a really fun time with the police department under Chief Kary Kinmonth,” he recalls. “It was an eye-opening experience.”
“Initially I thought I was going to hit the road, crack some skulls and get some bad guys, but then I came here, and the focus was on community policing,” he says, “I had never seen anything like that before.”
During that time Officer Houser switched gears; he liked the idea of being a part of a community... of having children stop you in the street to take selfies.
It’s not why he got into the business, but it’s what keeps him in it now. One of his main goals will be to continue that community presence in West Liberty and build a positive presence online.
“I take pride in it,” he says. “I’ve seen so many of my colleagues get burned out racing from call to call to call. Over the years it really weighs down on you,” he says.
Chief Houser is married to Leah and has one son, a three-year-old named Franklin. Currently they live in Lone Tree, but they’re looking for a home near West Liberty, if not in it.
The 32-year-old was born in Dyersville, Iowa. He graduated from Independence High School in 2010 and immediately joined the military.
Houser served six years as a military police officer, one of those years he was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Afterwards he worked for the sheriff’s office in Black Hawk County in Waterloo.
Eventually he was picked up by the West Liberty Police Department in 2017 to work the night shift, during which he got to know the community.
“Everyone was just very welcoming when I first got here,” he says. “Initially I didn’t understand community policing, but afterwards I began to see the results.”
“I could drive down any street and have kids waving at me, they treated me like a rock star here,” he adds. “I never thought it would be like that being a cop.”
He was particularly impressed by the community’s support in 2020, a rather tumultuous time to be a police officer in most other parts of the United States.
While it wasn’t perfect, the trust the West Liberty force had built in prior years helped insulate them from a lot of the negativity faced by many other police departments at the beginning of the decade.
So, what’s his plan as police chief?
“I’d like to boost up our social media, because I know that’s one thing that has been lacking,” he says. “It will also offer some transparency, because people want to know what we’re doing.”
“I want to bring back that community engagement,” he says. “But the biggest thing I want to do is provide stability.”
The Revolving Door
It’s no secret that West Liberty has been in a bit of a whirlwind when it comes to police chiefs, a cycle going back more than a decade.
West Liberty Chief P.J. Brewer retired in April 2013 after being chief for six years. He was replaced by Lawrence McNaul, who started in July 2013 and resigned April 2014 to become city manager.
Next up was Chief Kevin Gyrion, who started September 2014 and resigned sometime around July 2015 to become the police chief in Clinton, Iowa.
This was followed by Mark Kopf, who served as chief from November 2015 until he resigned in June 2016 to take a job in the private sector.
Next was Chief Kary Kinmonth, who began in January 2017 and resigned in October 2019 due to health issues. He was followed by a brief stint from Jeremy Burdess from April 2020 until November 2020.
Finally, Eric Werling took up the mantel in August 2021 and served until November 2023. Now it’s time for Police Chief Josh Houser. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be the one.
“I like being here… It really became a home to me,” says Chief Houser. “I don’t see any reason to leave.”
When asked if he had anything he wanted to say to the community, he responded:
“I’m back and I have no plans of going anywhere anytime soon,” he says with a smile.
Welcome back Chief Houser, we wish you great success!