Waterloo appoints interim police chief

The city of Waterloo has shuffled its law-enforcement lineup while the chief recovers. Waterloo mayor Tim Hurley today (Wednesday) named Captain John Beckman as the city’s interim police chief, while current chief Thomas Jennings recovers from a heart attack. The 49-year-old Jennings suffered the heart attack June 27th and underwent a heart catheterization procedure at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Last Saturday, Jennings was moved to Covenant Medical center in Waterloo for further recovery. Hurley says the police department’s temporary command structure will remain in place until Jennings returns to work. Beckman has been with the Waterloo police department for nearly 30 years.