The Fairfield City Council took several significant steps Monday evening to strengthen and modernize the city’s police department, formally appointing a new police chief, introducing a new monthly transparency report, and announcing the hire of a new community service officer on July 27th.
Joel Smith Named Police Chief
The council formally swore in Joel Smith as Fairfield’s permanent police chief at Monday’s meeting, ending his tenure as interim chief. Smith has served in the interim role since the passing of former Chief David Thomas in January. His appointment makes official what has been expected since Mayor Connie Boyer announced her intent to appoint him at the July 13th council meeting.
Mayor Boyer administered the oath of office, with Smith repeating the words after her — swearing to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and to faithfully and impartially discharge all duties of police chief in the City of Fairfield to the best of his ability.
Boyer then offered warm words for the new chief. “I just want to say this guy has been dedicated for 15 years to Fairfield, and we’re just really proud of his work and proud that you’re our next chief,” she said. “We wish you a safe tenure and good luck.”
New Monthly Police Transparency Report
Smith also presented the department’s first monthly police report to the council — a new initiative he developed in coordination with Mayor Boyer and City Administrator Doug Reinert to provide greater transparency about department activity.
In his message accompanying the report, Smith described June as a productive month for the department. “June was another productive month for the Fairfield Police Department as we continued strengthening our organization while providing professional police services to our community,” Smith said. “In addition to our daily responsibilities, we expanded staffing, completed annual firearms qualifications, advanced equipment improvement projects, and continued recruiting the next generation of Fairfield police officers. This report highlights the progress made throughout the month and our continued commitment to serving Fairfield with integrity, honor, and professionalism.”
The June report covers the period from June 1st through June 30th and reflects a busy month for the department. Officers responded to 889 calls for service during the month, made 20 arrests, conducted 134 traffic stops, issued 40 citations and 94 warnings, and investigated 25 traffic crashes — an increase in crash activity compared to previous months. Officers filed 28 criminal charges as a result of proactive investigations and enforcement efforts, and the department carried 31 active investigations. Traffic enforcement focused on impaired driving and speeding, with officers filing three OWI charges during the month.
The department is authorized for 14 sworn officers but currently has only 8 on staff, with 12 applicants in process and a July 15th entry-level hiring process underway. Three part-time officers from the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office were onboarded during June to help maintain patrol coverage, bringing total part-time staffing to five. All officers completed their annual firearms qualifications during the month.
Officers conducted 20 community walkthroughs and participated in nine school or youth events, maintaining a presence at Fairfield High School and Middle School athletic events, Art Walk, the Farmers Market, the Jefferson County Fair, and the Fairfield Park and Recreation Center, with an estimated 350 public contacts.
On the equipment front, the department is pursuing grant funding to replace aging AEDs in patrol vehicles — currently only one operational unit remains — and is working with local businesses to secure donations for a breaching door training aid to be shared with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Fairfield Fire Department.
Year-to-date calls for service through June stood at 4,501 — a 3.68 percent decrease compared to 4,673 at the same point last year, which the mayor noted was a positive trend.
Smith said the report format may evolve month to month as the department identifies additional metrics worth tracking, but the overall structure will remain consistent. The council praised the initiative. “I really commend this level of transparency,” Councilman Bob Ferguson said. “I think it’s in the right direction. It’s very helpful.”
The report also noted that Officer Dylan Fury returned from a one-year military deployment overseas on June 22nd and is back on the force.
Community Service Officer Hired
Smith also announced the hire of Adam Melcher as the city’s first community service officer to be housed under the police department — a position that has never previously been part of the department. Melcher was already performing a similar role for the city before being brought formally under the police department umbrella.
As a non-sworn officer, Melcher will handle a wide range of community-facing duties including dog calls, parking complaints, brush and debris compliance, nuisance complaints, and other code enforcement matters. “The job scope is pretty large,” Smith said. “He’s going to be handling a wide variety of different things within the city.” Smith acknowledged it will be a learning experience for everyone given that the position is new to the department, but said he is confident it will be a valuable addition to the team.
