The city of West Liberty is down to three finalists after an official offer was made late last week to one of the candidates who turned down the job, not even providing a counter-offer, it was learned this week by the Index.
The city council hosted a closed session Tuesday night at their regular council meeting to discuss the personnel matter. The city had hoped to announce at the meeting the new chief.
The four finalists for the West Liberty Police Chief position took center stage Thursday, June 10 at the West Liberty Public Library as members of the public and community leaders got a chance to meet the potential new leader.
Elizabeth Hansen, the city’s interim city manager, said there were initially 29 candidates who applied for the position, which were narrowed down to 11 and then the four finalists, all of which have high qualifications. She said the process began in April to replace Jeremy Burdess, who was head of the department for six months after replacing Kary Kinmonth, who retired “due to a medical issue” according to former city manager Lawrence McNaul. Burdess was a former Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy who left the West Liberty position for a career change to insurance.
Those attending got a chance to vote for their favorite candidate after hearing them give s short speech while also getting a chance to visit with the candidates one-on-one.
Gregory Hall
The four finalists included Gregory Hall, a native of Iowa City, a crime scene unit investigator in Iowa City who lives on a rural acreage between West Liberty and Iowa City with his wife, Jacqueline and two children.
He says he loves West Liberty and called it a “welcoming place,” embracing the diversity of the community.
He started his career as a police officer in Tipton, where he said he got his “feet wet” on small town policing, before going to the Jones County Sheriff’s Department as a Sheriff’s Deputy followed by his present work with the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety, where he as served for eight years before getting promoted into the investigation division. His focus was on cases involving violence against women and sexual assaults. He’s also been an officer in West Branch and Durant.
Eric How
Eric How admits to growing up in a small town in Nebraska as a Cornhusker fan, and is currently a lieutenant in the Knoxville, Iowa Police Department, where he works some 12- hour shifts.
He has a lot of responsibilities in management and policing in the department, has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a masters in law. He also serves as a captain in the Iowa National Guard based in Ottumwa and has been in the Army for 15 years. He was previously an offier in the city of Bellevue, Nebraska.
He said he never expected to serve his country for one and a half decades, noting he learned a lot about management in his days in the service and hopes to transfer those skills and experience to the West Liberty Police Department.
He has a wife, Karen, and two children. How obtained his Master of Science in Law at California Southern University and has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Ashford University.
Dave Lira
Interim Police Chief Dave Lira also gave a short talk to the approximately 30 people who attended, pointing out he’s been with the department since 2005 and is now in his second role as the interim chief.
A Moline native who lives in the Quad-Cities, Lira says he “loves this community” and doesn’t want to go anywhere else, hoping to finish his career in West Liberty. He said the department does their own investigations on cases in the community.
A veteran of Desert Storm, he went to Western Illinois University for a degree in law enforcement, but said his college life was cut short by other responsibilities, but hopes to finish his degree in law enforcement and justice administration. He graduated from the Iowa Police Academy in 1997.
Eric Werling
The final candidate to speak, Eric Werling, grew up in Anamosa and said he is impressed with West Liberty, noting he can’t want to get his child on the new playground. He said getting the chief position would aid his professional and personal goals, noting becoming a chief of police is his “end goal.” He has a psychology degree from the University of Iowa and was a cheerleader for the Hawkeyes. Werling also holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Mount Mercy University.
He is on the University of Iowa police force, serving as a lieutenant for seven years and has worked as Director of Public Saftey at Mt. Mercy University, but is currently working for the Cedar Rapids School District as a School Security and Crisis Response Supervisor.