The U. Iowa police hired seven additional officers to help staff a new police patrol beat in downtown Iowa City that became effective June 1.

The new hirings, who also started on June 1, are paid $35,705 per year, in total costing the university a minimum of $249,935, said Sue Molder, an assistant to Charles Green, the assistant vice president for the UI police.

Green said this amount would be included in the department’s entire budget.

The new beat — which aims to assist Iowa City police patrolling the area — operates on a 10-hour shift, Wednesday through Saturday starting at 7 p.m.

Officers are mainly patrolling the Pedestrian Mall, but around 2 or 3 a.m. may shift their focus toward providing additional security at residence halls or other necessary duties, Green said.

UI police officers were assisting Iowa City police even before the beat’s official creation, though they worked voluntarily 10 hours of overtime, which Green said was a significant stress on his department.

“We already work a ton of overtime,” he said. “But we need to have more of a response downtown.”
He thinks the presence downtown will benefit both the city and the university, he said.

“We’re going to collaborate and assist Iowa City [officers] — they do the same for us,” he said. “We’re hoping the increased presence will allow everyone to enjoy the downtown without fear of being assaulted in any way, shape, or form.”

And the collaboration is paying off, he said. Just last week, UI police officers apprehended a person suspected of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old downtown, following an alert issued by the Iowa City police.

Green said the interest in having an increased UI police presence downtown first stemmed from a string of sexual gropings in 2006, and it has continued to grow since then.

He maintained the beat was not created in any relation to the new 21-ordinance, which also became effective June 1.

“I doubt that’s going to change anything [with the new shifts], whether it remains or goes away,” he said.

With 41 uniformed officers now on the university force, in addition to 15 non-police security guards, the payroll for the entire department is a minimum of $1.5 million.

Iowa City police Capt. Richard Wyss said the department “welcomes the university’s support and looks forward to working with them.”