Johnson County to station sheriff’s deputy at administration building amid safety concerns

IOWA CITY — The Johnson County Administration Building now has a sheriff’s deputy present during business hours on weekdays.

Sheriff Brad Kunkel said conversations with the Board of Supervisors about a law enforcement presence in the administration building began after some county employees expressed concerns about safety at work.

“I think just in the last few years, the heightened attention even local government can get on hot button political issues it's kind of created some unease amongst county staff and government staff, and we need to make sure they feel safe,” Kunkel said. “You can have all the cameras in the world in a workplace, but that presence of law enforcement does add a layer of that feeling of safety for staff. I'm glad to be in a position where we could make that happen.”

Kunkel said that while the county does get calls for service to the building, the move is a proactive step to support staff safety rather than a response to an influx of calls at the building.

As of earlier this month, a sheriff’s deputy is stationed outside the treasurer’s office on the first floor of the building each day. The sheriff’s office’s courthouse division staffs the position, with different deputies working various shifts at the administration building.

The deputy on duty will primarily stay in the administration building, as opposed to traveling back and forth to the Health and Human Services building. The two buildings are connected via a skywalk above Benton Street.

Members of the Board of Supervisors expressed some concerns about having a uniformed officer at the Health and Human Services Building, which residents visit for various social service and medical needs.

“I just have a really hard time having a uniformed officer in this building given the population that we serve and the state of the world,” Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz said of the HHS building during a board work session in October.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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