By: Matt Scher, matts@977thebolt.com
Humboldt, IA – Humboldt Police Chief Jacob Miller addressed Humboldt’s City Council Monday night after he says he had been inundated with messages regarding accusations of over-policing.
Chief Miller discussed data over the last six months from calls received by dispatch for the Humboldt Police Department.
Complaints have mostly been around traffic enforcement Chief Miller says, which the Chief says the majority of stops have ended in warnings.
The Chief also says that Humboldt has been designated as one of the five highest counties in the state for rates of OWIs and has been a target of the Governor Traffic Safety Bureau’s High Five Initiative as reasoning for proactive enforcement. The Iowa State Patrol has also seen a larger presence in the county due to the program.
Humboldt County Attorney Jon Beatty Came to the defense of Chief Miller’s department.
Questions started to arise in the Humboldt community which prompted the public and even some business owners to voice their concerns over the department’s tactics at a recent Humboldt City Council meeting during the general public concern section.