The Iowa City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to approve the appointment of Dustin Liston as chief of the Iowa City Police Department. Liston, an Iowa native who has served as police officer in El Paso, Texas, for 22 years, was the choice of City Manager Geoff Fruin after a search process that began […]
Iowa City Council
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‘We need to do better’: Iowa City Council holds listening post to discuss mental health and police reform
The Iowa City Council held the first of six scheduled listening posts to get public input regarding community policing reforms at Mercer Park on Wednesday evening. Approximately 50 community members attended the event, which focused on how situations involving mental health, crisis intervention and addiction should be handled. As part of the resolution passed on […]
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Iowa City Council is holding a listening session on community policing at Mercer Park
The Iowa City Council will hold the first of six listening post events on police reform at Mercer Park on Wednesday evening. Each of the six planned events will focus on an issue important to improving community policing in Iowa City. Wednesday’s listening post will focus on how to better handle situations involving mental health, […]
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Iowa Freedom Riders return to the streets of Iowa City demanding more action from the city council and justice for Makeda Scott
On Friday night, the Iowa Freedom Riders led marchers through the streets of Iowa City in their first protest since early July. IFR organizers — joined by five members of Des Moines Black Lives Matter, who had been in Cedar Rapids earlier to deliver donated items to help people affected by the derecho — led […]
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Iowa City confirms police did use tear gas on protest marchers on June 3
Iowa City Police Department officers did use tear gas on protesters gathered on Dubuque Street on June 3, an assistant city attorney confirmed on Monday in reply to a citizen’s open records request. Little Village was provided with a copy of the email from Assistant City Attorney Susan Dulek, sent at 4:04 p.m. on Monday. […]
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‘The time for action is now’: Mayor Bruce Teague issues order requiring face coverings in Iowa City
Effective immediately, almost everyone in Iowa City will be required to wear a face covering while in public, according to a proclamation issued on Tuesday by Mayor Bruce Teague. “With more than 30,000 college students set to return to Iowa City in August, the time for action is now,” Teague said in livestreamed address during […]
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Iowa City launches website to let public track progress on police reform, racial equity and social justice goals
Iowa City has added a section to the city’s website, allowing the public to see how much progress is being made on the council’s 17-point resolution addressing the demands of the Iowa Freedom Riders regarding policing, affordable housing and other issue involving racial justice and equity. City Manager Geoff Fruin called the new section “a […]
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COVID-19: Johnson County reports 27 new cases, Muscatine mayor receives death threats over face mask mandate
Johnson County saw its 22nd consecutive day of double-digit increases in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 27 county residents tested positive for the virus during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Since the current surge began on June 17, there have been 676 new cases reported […]
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Iowa-Nebraska NAACP and the Iowa Police Chiefs Association launch a task force to examine police-community issues
The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP and the Iowa Police Chiefs Association (IPCA) announced the creation of a new statewide task force to work on improving relations between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. “It is undeniable that now is the time for improving law enforcement and community relationships. Those relationships are authenticated by transparent practices […]
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‘This is amazing,’ says mayor as Iowa City Council passes resolution to restructure ICPD and address other demands of the Iowa Freedom Riders
“I’m excited,” Mayor Bruce Teague said at the end of the Iowa City Council’s special formal session on Tuesday night. The almost four-and-a-half-hour meeting followed the city council’s two-hour-long normal formal meeting, and was devoted to developing a plan to address the social justice issues that have come to forefront as a result of local […]
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Iowa City Council will consider Iowa Freedom Riders’ demands at special formal meeting Tuesday night
The Iowa City Council will take up the demands of the Iowa Freedom Riders, as well as other issues related to systemic racism and policing policies, during a special formal meeting on Tuesday night. The council discussed the demands and related issues during its special work session on June 9, but this will be the […]
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Protesters march to City Councilmember Pauline Taylor’s house, insist on abolishing the police
Following their march to Coralville on Thursday, where a line of law enforcement officers under the command of the Iowa State Patrol blocked them from reaching I-80, the Iowa Freedom Riders adopted a new tactic. Instead of marching to the highway, or making a circuit of downtown Iowa City, the IFR started leading protesters to […]
