Shelby County Sheriff’s Office takes over Harlan Police Department

HARLAN, Iowa (WOWT) - The biggest community in Shelby County, Iowa no longer has a police department. It’s been that way for a little more than a month now in Harlan, and both city and county officials tell 6 News things are going great.

“We’ve done this before; it’s just the marking and labeling are going to say sheriff’s at this point,” said Shelby County Sheriff Neil Gross.

The city now pays the county for law enforcement services.

“We’re into our fifth week now and the coverage in Harlan certainly is the same if not better,” said Gene Gettys, city administrator.

A few factors contributed to the decision to make the change, one being the difficulty of fully staffing the department. Harlan PD was budgeted for eight staff but only had six full-time employees.

“With the last couple (application) rounds, (it was a) challenge to get five,” he said.

And not all of the recent applicants were certified.

Another factor Gettys said also played a role is Governor Kim Reynolds’ Back the Blue legislation from 2021. That law boosted salaries for sheriff’s office staff statewide and other large enforcement entities but did not help smaller police departments like Harlan PD. That made competing for talent that much harder, said Gettys.

Now Harlan pays for six new officers in the sheriff’s office’s 17-person department. Four of the six were former Harlan PD officers.

“The camaraderie and work ethic that I’ve seen out of the people we’ve hired has been phenomenal,” said Gross. “I really foresee it being a model, hopefully, for not only the state but for the rest of the county as you find those smaller police departments already working with a lot of your sheriff’s office.”

The 5-year deal saves the city about $100,000 a year.

“Foremost is the protection of life and safety and property, and looking at alternatives and the best way to support that is what we have done and what we’ll continue to do with this transition,” said Gettys.

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