Dubuque Times

The Maquoketa City Council heard the annual department report from Police Chief Brendan Zeimet during the council's March 6 meeting.

Zeimet told the board that the department's biggest struggle of the past year was staffing, adding that the issue is not unique to the community or the state. At one point, the department was down to four dispatchers to handle the 24-hour position, which they did for more than a month until the department was able to train more. Zeimet commended his officers who also went without days off to pick up empty shifts and ensure patrol coverage in the community. He said the department’s strongest asset was the strength and dedication of the employees they have, adding that the dispatch center was at full staff at the start of 2023 and were only short one police officer, although that opening is about to be filled by a new school resource officer for Maquoketa Schools.

"Speaking of the SRO, this year was a unique year for us for not having a school resource officer in the schools, and we devised a plan to make sure we had presence there. And I again give all the credit to the officers who stepped up and made a very positive presence in the schools on a daily basis multiple times a day. As you can tell from the letter from the Superintendent, I think they're very pleased with how we've been doing things and it's only going to get better."

The department's headquarters building also underwent changes and improvements last year, Zeimet said. One of the officers' wives volunteered to do some painting in the building, Zeimet said, which allowed the department to do other maintenance projects on the building. The department is also planning to make other improvements over the next 10-15 years, Zeimet said. City manager Josh Boldt agreed, adding that he recently saw Zeimet himself planting flowers in front of the new sign outside the building and commending him for his efforts.

The council also voted to approve an ordinance amendment that would allow the police to use greater flexibility in issuing traffic violations, which was paired with a similar amendment to allow building inspectors in the city to issue escalating fees for non-compliant buildings in an effort to increase public safety. The police ordinance would allow officers to use their own discretion with escalating fees for traffic violations, from $60 to $90. Those penalties would be for violations and citations that aren't reported to the state driving database or the individual's insurance, Zeimet explained, in cases such as speeding, seat belt violations, disregarding traffic signs and expired vehicle registrations, he added.