T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Incoming Marshalltown Police Chief and current Capt. Chris Jones (center, holding paper) is pictured alongside, from left to right, Sgt. Chris Roush, Lt. AJ Accola, Chief Mike Tupper, Capt. Kiel Stevenson and Lt. Chad Hillers after the city council unanimously approved his appointment during Monday night’s meeting. Jones is set to start his tenure as chief on Feb. 1, 2025.

While news that City Administrator Carol Webb appointed current Capt. Chris Jones as the next chief of the Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) had already been widely circulated ahead of Monday night’s city council meeting, the council still had the job of approving the appointment as the first item of regular business on the agenda.

Unsurprisingly, Jones — a 28-year veteran of the force, a captain since 2012 and a graduate of the FBI National Academy — was confirmed with unanimous support, and councilors, members of the public and fellow officers heaped praise upon him during the meeting. Mayor Joel Greer took the opportunity to editorialize first, clarifying a comment he had made to the T-R about the hiring decision being a “slam dunk.”

“It was a slam dunk, but I’ve gotta tell you that the two officers from Marshalltown were the slam dunk. And there was no question about it. They were so qualified, and they work together so well and I’m just really pleased with the talent pool we have here,” the mayor said, without specifying who the other internal candidate was.

He added that he had asked Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier into suspending the search process because he felt an internal candidate would ultimately be hired, but Greer said there were ultimately two strong candidates who interviewed from outside of the MPD. The motion to approve the appointment was quickly made and seconded before current Police Chief Mike Tupper, who is set to retire in 94 days, stepped forward to the podium to share his thoughts on why he felt Jones was such an excellent choice.

The chief joked that because the appointment was so important to him, he even wore his clip-on tie and polished his boots. He described the situation as a “full circle moment” — when Tupper was waiting to be appointed at a council meeting in October of 2011, someone he did not know at the time got up and spoke.

“It was Chris Jones. He came up and was very eloquent as he always is and gave a message of support and hope and dreams for the future. And I don’t know if I ever lived up to his hope and dreams, but he lived up to his speech,” Tupper said. “And for the last 13 years, he’s given me nothing but support and hope and respect. He is among the hardest working people I’ve ever known. He’s a fantastic cop, a tremendous leader and he’s been a heck of a friend. We’ve gone through some difficult times as a community, and Chris has been there right beside all of us through it all and has gotten us through.”

Tupper added that approving the hire was an easy decision for the council.

“I’m confident that he’ll be the best police chief you ever had, and I’m looking forward to watching what he does,” he said. “And he doesn’t need my advice, but if he wants it, I’m gonna give it to him anyway, I guess. But I would just tell him to be true to his ideals, be true to himself (and) be himself. When times get tough, fall back on your education, your training, your experience and most importantly, your team. And always fight forward. I just want to thank Chris Jones for everything he has meant to this police department and this community for almost 29 years now, and I’m super excited for him. From the Tupper family, we wish him the best and congratulations.”

Lonnie Hogeland spoke highly of Tupper and recalled the first time they met at Hogeland’s office, and MPD Sgt. Chris Roush said the goal for officers coming up through the ranks was always to “beat Jones.”

“He still seemed to come out on top many times. We used to call it the Jones advantage because it seemed like he won out of the air, but it really is because of the hard work that he puts in. I can say the people that I know in the department were pleased that Capt. Jones is becoming our next police chief,” Roush said.

Firefighter Dan Oswald said Jones had showed up “out of the blue” on a recent medical call and helped out even when he had no obligation to do so.

“That’s something we don’t see very much. Cops aren’t required to come to those types of calls. He came out and assisted where he could, and that was pretty awesome. You guys hired a great person,” he said.

Councilor Gary Thompson commented that a few officers who had reached out to him were “very happy” with the choice. The original motion passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

Tupper, who plans to retire on Jan. 31, 2025, shared a subsequent statement expressing his excitement about the hire.

“The Marshalltown Police Department is excited for Chris Jones and his family. We celebrate with them the news of his appointment to the position of police chief for the city of Marshalltown. Chris has served our community with honor and integrity since March of 1996. Chris has worked virtually every assignment available within the police department and he has excelled at them all,” the chief said of his soon-to-be successor. “Chris is among the finest professionals I have ever worked with. More importantly, Chris is an outstanding husband, father, friend, mentor, and community member. Chris will lead the department forward with a servant’s heart and empathy for everyone he comes into contact with. The Marshalltown Police Department will continue to provide high quality services for our community under the guidance of Chris and his exceptional leadership.”

In other business, the council:

• Approved the consent agenda as listed.

• Approved the 2025-2026 goal setting report.

• Approved a transfer of funds to the group health insurance fund 884.

• Approved an amended development agreement with Karl of Marshalltown.

• Approved the first reading of an amendment to Chapter 77 of the city code on parking schedules with the addition of language regarding parking restrictions during street closures for special events as well as snow emergencies.

• Approved the second reading of a pair of amendments to Chapter 156 of the city code.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.