Iowa’s second largest city has a new police chief. Wayne Jerman was sworn into office Monday as the 43rd chief of police in Cedar Rapids. The 55-year-old Jerman doesn’t expect he’ll be making any drastic changes to the department’s operations.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to discover anything that needs improvement,” Jerman said. “All of the research I’ve done has indicated this is a fantastic city with a fantastic police department.” Former police chief Greg Graham left Cedar Rapids in mid-January to take a job in Florida.
Jerman comes to Cedar Rapids after spending his entire 33-year law enforcement career with the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department. Jerman said he plans to meet with every member of the Cedar Rapid Police Department and ride along with patrol officers to learn about the community.
“For the first several weeks, I just want to sit back and observe what they do and how they interact with the community and see how I can assist them in doing that,” Jerman said. If Jerman has remained in Maryland, he’d be helping with disaster response to Hurricane Sandy.
Jerman said he wants to be prepared for similar potential disasters in Cedar Rapids, which will require working closely with other emergency crews. “That’s what is paramount – to prepare for an emergency,” Jerman said. “So, I’m interested in seeing what type of emergency management plans are here in Cedar Rapids, maybe get involved in some exercises and prepare for the worst.”
Jerman and his wife, Terri, have been married for 24 years. Their 18-year-old daughter, Bridgette, plans to enroll at the University of Iowa next year.
By Jill Kasperie, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids