River Bend Times

The Camanche City Council received its police department's annual report during the March 7 meeting.

Police Chief Richard Schmitz briefly discussed aspects of the Camanche Police Department's (CPD) budget and staffing, noting that he hoped to fill an open position soon. The majority of the CPD's budget is used on staffing each year, equating to more than 78% spent on wages, insurance, workers' comp and allowances. Schmitz also spoke about how long each CPD member has spent on the job, with himself serving for 18 years. Assistant Chief Bill Lodge has served for 22 years, and others range in service time from a handful of months to nearly 15 years.

Schmitz also acknowledged some of his staff members for their achievements and actions in 2022. Officer Brittany Parks was named Officer of the Year, with Schmitz noting that she has the best attitude of anyone he has ever worked with. Cpl. Andrew Weingart was recognized for Excellence in Criminal Investigations for his quick and effective work in tracking down threats made against a local school on social media. He found the suspect's residence, procured a search warrant, and was able to retrieve evidence and arrest the suspect who was charged with the false reporting of an explosive device and harassment. Two other officers also received a Life Saving award for administering three doses of Narcan to a 911 caller who was experiencing a heroin overdose, reviving them and allowing them to fully recover.

Schmitz showed the council a crime map of all the CPD's cases and calls from 2022, noting that they differentiated those involving juveniles and the local high school as a part of their school resource officer (SRO) program. The department is still repeatedly conducting school shooting training sessions and other drills, working with local SWAT and response teams. They also maintain a drug and overdose outreach program that has been considered very effective.

"We just don't communicate with the public as much as we probably should about everything that we've got going on there," Schmitz said in the meeting. "So just because you see an empty building a lot of times, it's hard to say what we do. But this is a way to let everybody know what we've got going on."