Work continues to get Decorah Police Department back to full staffing

Steps are being taken to get the Decorah Police Department back to full staffing.

The appointment of an Assistant Police Chief will be announced at the next Decorah City Council meeting, followed by a swearing in ceremony.  The Assistant Police Chief position became vacant when former Police Chief Bill Nixon retired and then-Assistant Chief Dave Smutzler was promoted to Police Chief.

There have also been two openings for the position of Patrol Officer.  Interviews will be conducted with six candidates Thursday and Friday by members of the Decorah Civil Service Commission.  However, hiring a patrol officer requires an extensive background investigation and further certification procedures, so it will still be awhile before the new police officers can be hired.