Wadding sees controversy as part of job

Kim Wadding Bio Box

TH: You've been in Dubuque 21/4 years or so. What would you put on the list of accomplishments?
KW: All the things that have been accomplished since my arrival has taken a real team effort of everyone.
I look at the development of the mental health initiative. We need to focus more closely on trying to divert the mentally ill, instead of putting people in jail, which was the method most easily used. We need to get them diverted to the proper care.
You have rapid deployment, which is the school initiative, to have better response to a critical incident at the schools, as well as any major industry or building.
Rapid deployment basically goes back to the street officer. If we can empower the street officer to take on that initiative, take on that discretion, we're going to be able to serve people at a much quicker rate and a much more appropriate place.
The events of Sept. 11 kind of interrupted my arrival here at a critical juncture. Not only for myself but for everyone, we have to readjust our thinking to look into the threat of terrorism. We put together a local threat assessment team.
Some say the threat of terrorism is not as high here as in some other areas. But we saw the mailbox (bomber) situation and those kinds of things. So it is here.
Dubuque is very fortunate. One thing that was a surprise to me was the close relationship that the police department has with the sheriff's office, as well as the Department of Corrections and the other city departments. It doesn't happen everywhere.
One of the significant initiatives was the patrol change from an eight-hour day to a 10-hour day. The police department had been talking about this for a number of years. We were able to get the change done through the use of a management-union committee. Although there were a number of things that had to be overcome, a six-month pilot was created. The arrangement allows either management or union to opt out of the schedule if it becomes detrimental to operations or unacceptable to the officer.
The expansion of the SRO programs. It was set in place prior to my arrival, and I just happened to be here as they mushroomed into the actual programming.
TH: SRO?
KW:The School Resource Officer program. We had one and then we expanded to two and now we have three School Resource Officers in the schools.
TH:Is that separate from the rapid deployment program?
KW:Separate and distinct from rapid deployment.
Rapid deployment is simply where if we have an active shooter somewhere, we teach street officers to respond and to take immediate action to neutralize that active shooter.
Before anything else is done, we've got to neutralize that active shooter. The methods that you saw in situations like in Columbine, where the officers did exactly what we've been taught. That was to secure the area, to set the perimeters and then to painstakingly walk forward into the building. Well, as we saw in Columbine, it was only 12 minutes. Well, in 12 minutes, a lot of things were happening and we need to be much more reactive and responsive than that situation, in those types of situations.
Rapid response gets us there, gets us collected into a quick team and the team goes in and neutralizes that ongoing threat.
TH:Could a Columbine happen in Dubuque, Iowa?
KW:You know, anything can happen anywhere. I would say the likelihood, hopefully, is less, but we always have to be vigilant in what we do. We truly do.
I think that's one of the things we need to continue to balance in law enforcement - is that knowledge that we need to keep working on preparation. The other emphasis is to express our education components through things such as the DARE program and such as traffic safety and those kinds of elements.
TH:It's no secret in the community that, when you were selected for this job, there was some objection. Some felt that Capt. (Mike) Sullivan would be the better candidate and internal promotion was appropriate. Did that reaction surprise you, or did you anticipate that through the interview process?
KW:On the night I was appointed or confirmed by the city council, there was some exchange there. The officers commented and so forth.
It's unfortunate. I guess that's how I looked at it. They had no clue as to who I was or where I'm coming from. We're all people of habit to some degree, and seeing someone coming in from a different area certainly is concerning. That's the way I took it at the time.
Would I have like it to be a little smoother? Well, certainly. I think anybody would. But, again, I think that's the things you just simply work with and you work through.
One of my favorite sayings is, "Sometimes the only way through is through."
We're going to make mistakes. We're going to make errors. We're going to make judgments that not everyone agrees with, but we're all working for the same purpose - to provide the best quality of service that we possible can in the way that we can.
So, looking at those issues, people have a right to their opinions and to express those opinions. That's kind of the bulk of it.
TH:Would you say that that applies as well to some of the reaction after the selection for assistant chief? More recently, some members of the union expressed concerns to the city council regarding what they're stating is a lack of leadership and direction. I'm interested in your reaction to that claim.
KW:Well, again, we all have our right to our opinions and to express those opinions. I think the other side of that issue is what can we do to overcome those moments? What can we do to express ourselves in a positive light?
One of the things that's being proposed is a labor-management type of committee. We don't always agree, and I'll be the first one to tell you that we're not always going to agree. That's just what life is some days. But if we can get understanding, I think that goes a long way in resolving some of those issues.
TH:So, are you providing good leadership?
KW:I believe so.
TH:How would you describe morale in the department at this point?
KW:How would I describe the morale?
TH:You've spent more than 25 years in stations houses, and I'm sure you get a gut feeling about how people are feeling about things. Maybe I could ask it this way: Would you like to see morale improve?
KW:Always. I don't think there's any business in the world that wouldn't like to see people happier than they are today.
Again, I've been in business for 25 years and at different times, those things have dipped. Something is not happening. We're not able to get the funding for a certain project or whatever, and those things will dip. Time and time again, there's disappointment to some level. Sometimes, the answer is no. Not all of us enjoys hearing that word "no," but it's one of those things in life. I've seen it, I've been part of it.
But we are an interesting people because that will affect us for a time. And then we'll decide whether we want to let it continue to impact us every day, or do we choose to say, "Look, I have no control here. What can I control in this situation?"
Decipher that and then set it aside and then say, "I'm moving forward." Because we all deal with disappointment. There are some people who languish in what's happened and that's unfortunate. If they can learn by it, understand it and do things that can help lessen that impact, I think that's a strong thing to do.
But the other part of this is, "OK, what does that mean to me and how does that affect me and what can I do?" Because we're all responsible for how we feel. We're all responsible for ourselves getting up in the morning and deciding how we're going to treat this day and how to move forward.
TH:In observing some of the reaction and comments from officers regarding morale and leadership, I was trying to translate it into a business setting. Where is the line drawn between free expression -First Amendment rights, if you will - and where does that line cross into insubordination? In many business settings, rank-and-file employees would not have some of the latitude that members of the Dubuque Police Department have enjoyed through this.
KW:That's an interesting question. If I am a professional, I have to be willing to accept some of the criticism for the decisions that I make. Nobody likes to be criticized. But if you're going to be involved in leadership roles, that's part of that decision. I can appreciate that. The other expression you just said ...
TH:Free expression, First Amendment rights and then insubordination. Where do you see that line drawn? Is there a point when you say, you know, everybody's had their airing of this in the paper or on the news, and now enough's enough. Are we at or near that point?
KW:I like to believe we are. They've expressed themselves. I think that's been allowable. I look at it from the other side. If we're not able to allow expression, then that just continues to eat away.
It's important on each on of our emotional levels that we get those out, get them expressed, get them vented. Are their avenues to do that? Are there better avenues to do that? I guess we can debate that for quite some time. But I also know that if you allow things to fester and to say you were prevented from speaking your mind, taking the steps you need to take, then you service nothing, because that lays there.
TH:What experience and qualifications and personality did you see in Terry Tobin that caused you to move him to the assistant chief's slot?
KW:We had five excellent candidates for assistant chief. All five had something very positive to offer the position. Each individual was unique.
I'm looking for individuals who possess educational background, experience and try to balance that experience throughout the department - be it patrol division, be it CID, what other experience and exposure that we have. And try to look at the potentials and the relationships. It's a very important part as far as relationships go.
I evaluated all the candidates on those levels. I'll be the first one to tell you that it was a very tough choice. I think Terry brings with him that combination. That component of education, experience, those people skills that I think that position needs. It doesn't take away from anyone else on that list, but again, those are the decisions that we have to make and we just simply accept the responsibility for that decision and go forward.
Some will not agree and I understand that. And I appreciate that. They have expressed that. I give them that, I guess.
TH:Dubuque, everyone knows, has a relatively low crime rate in terms of serious crime. But are there certain trends that concern you?
KW:Crime is not measured on crime statistics alone. People say, "Well, the crime rate went down." And it has. For instance, our crimes against persons have been down by 11 percent. And that's great; that's marvelous. Our property crimes went up. So, we did a good job or a bad job as a police department?
When we look at crime, you have to look at a lot of different factors. You've got to look at the economic conditions. We've got to look at opportunity.
Because of terrorism, one of the elements that I feel slipping is funding for drug abuse prevention. But it is significant.
As we look at our crime, we look at our burglaries, we look at our thefts, we don't go too far - we take a couple of steps - and we're right at somebody who's abusing, somebody who is networking in the drug industry to some level.
Homeland security is very important, but we have to understand we have to keep our attention on the drug trafficking.
The thing with drug trafficking - the reason we can never kill it - is it's personal choice. People are seeking something. I believe it in my soul that people are seeking something. Whether it be, "I'm just wanting to get away," "I don't feel good about myself," "I like the high." Whatever. It is a choice, and they're seeking. And unfortunately, they choose chemicals to achieve those things.
That's why when we take a look at the DARE program and other important programs, we get down to that second- and third- grade levels. That's where it starts. That's where we need to meet this problem and to bring it up through those grades if we're ever going to be anywhere close of getting rid of drug abuse.
TH:What drugs are you seeing coming into the community?
KW:Methamphetamine is a major component. It can be made cheaply, it can be made with elements located throughout our communities. We still have marijuana out there. We still have cocaine. Those are probably the highest three for us.
When we talk about crime, not too far behind the curtain lies this relationship to drugs. Do crimes happen without it? Certainly. But to a large degree, there's always some relation. When we look at burglary rings, we're not too far from looking at a drug ring. One supports the other's habit.
TH:Just a few years ago, it seemed that the police were uncovering and breaking up more meth manufacturing labs in homes. Are the meth-makers more savvy now? Are they doing it someplace else and bringing it into Dubuque? Are we just not writing enough about it in the paper when you do make these raids?
KW:I think there's some complacency. Each and every day, you can be printing a story on somebody who is manufacturing methamphetamine. They go on constantly and openly. I think the positive part, what's coming out of it, is people are understanding it now. People are calling us that probably would have never called us in the past and say, "I found a gas can with a rubber hose tied to it, I found this, I found that." All meth-related materials. Or being willing to call on a suspicious smell, a strong smell of urine - cat urine - for manufacture. Or anhydrous ammonia, used in manufacturing meth. People are much more aware than they ever have.
The quickness of the manufacturing of methamphetamine, the money that can be made, all those factors helped build this thing up. But the positive thing is that we're reaching a point of saturation for the community to say, "That's enough."
TH:A few months ago I talked to Judge (Jane) Mylrea, who talked about the impact on families, particularly the children who are in homes where this stuff is being manufactured. I'm assuming you're seeing it too.
KW:It's very easy to tell you that meth takes over. It becomes the No. 1 idea: "I don't care if my kids are in the room, I don't care. I've got to get this product made so I can get mine and I can share so I can make some money to make more meth." You become a slave to it.
People say, "Well, quit." It's a lot more to it than that. That's why the other part of the issue is that treatment for methamphetamine has to be a priority to us. But you have to remember, you're not to take just one time. It's not going to take just two times. It's not going to take just three times. Four, five, six, seven, eight times it takes to finally kick it.
TH:Let's say that a citizen has some suspicion that a neighbor or whoever might be manufacturing meth. What should that citizen do?
KW:Again, call us. It's as simple as that. Pick up the phone and call.
TH:Do they have to give their name?
KW:No.
TH:Should they call 911 or just the administrative number? How does all that work?
KW:Again, it's dependent upon the situation. If you've got a strong smell and it's happening right there - again, remember the volatility of it. So a 911 call is not outside the realm.
If you, as the common person or as the neighbor, look at this situation and think to yourself, "There's got to be drug traffic going on," trust that instinct.
If it's happening at that particular moment, I would strongly suggest call 911, because the volatility of that manufacturing process means we need to react quickly. If you get a suspicious circumstance and it goes on for a while, then feel free to call us at the administration number. Both of those are fine.
Do you have to leave your name? Certainly not. Do we want to have your name? Certainly we do, because you may be one piece of a larger puzzle. Can we keep them confidential? Certainly. We do a number of search warrants and everything else using confidential people that we trust and can corroborate their testimony without using their name. But again, we need to understand where they're coming from and what their comfort level is.
If we don't take care of that individual on that first call and do the right thing by them, we'll never receive that second call. And that person will tell 10 other people who will tell 10 other people and pretty soon, our information totally dries up. So we have a commitment and a duty to ensure that that information is trusted information, that we can be trusted with that information.
TH: A while back, the city and the department received a commendation regarding the traffic safety red-light violation pilot program. What is the status of those cameras at JFK and Pennsylvania?
KW:We have now serviced our pilot project, looked at it. Although it has some benefit to us, we only did it for the northbound lane. The cost involved in servicing that is prohibitive at this time.
What we're hoping for is as technology advances, that those avenues, those costs will lower then we can re-up that effort.
We appreciate the Iowa Department of Transportation giving us that ability to study that particular intersection.
We believe that running red lights is a major concern for our community. We are committed to it. That's what we have a strong traffic safety program, in and of itself. One of the problems with the red-light running equipment on JFK at Pennsylvania is that it's stationary and only deals with that one intersection. Once we would go full-fledged, violations would drop. But the other side of that coin is then it's not moveable. So we kind of deaden its impact. So we turn around and invest dollars in our selective traffic enforcement, which is much more mobile and much more visible.
TH:What are a few of the common misperceptions about your job?
KW:One is that the chief of police has the ultimate authority. I work for someone, too. Somebody will get a traffic ticket, and they call me up and say, "I want you to tear up this ticket." I'm just amazed at that. That discretion lies with the street officer. We empower our officers; we train them.
If they get out there and they make decisions, we need to stand behind them. Especially as the chief. I need to stand with them. Again, I have to ensure that they're doing it properly and without prejudice.
TH:Do people act differently around you or other police officers in social situations?
KW:Yeah. That's definitely true. I think it's getting less and less anymore. That's one of the things we have to watch out for in law enforcement, because we become isolated. Pretty soon we're only socializing with each other. With that kind of brings the perspective gets somewhat narrowed. So we need to keep ourselves involved in the community.
Again, Dubuque is unique in the fact that it's a very family-oriented community. So there is a lot of extended family. For a lot of our officers there are things going on in their lives that do extend them through. That is unique in a lot of police departments.
TH:And it's healthy.
KW:It's very, very healthy. The more outside interests that you have helps you to serve better as a police officer.
TH:What do you do in your spare time?
KW:Well, I have my first grandson. He's in Indianola, so we've been there quite a bit. My oldest son is at North Iowa Community College, in Mason City, so we spend a little time over there. And we visit my youngest son, Scott, who is in his first year of college. So we travel a little bit. At home, I like to read. Just kind of keep up on not only the professional magazines just simply leisure reading.
TH:What are you reading now?
KW:I've got John Grisham's book, "The Chamber." His style has changed, I think. I don't know what's happened to him, but I'm not quite as impressed as I once was.
TH:Do you watch police shows on TV?
KW:Mm, hmm.
TH:What do you think the best shows are, in terms of realism?
KW:Probably the best one I like is "Law & Order." I think they do a nice job. They show a little bit of the frustration level in the cops as they're trying to decipher all this.
One of the things they don't show - and I don't know if they ever could show it - but we have so many things going on in so different ways. A police officer will have five and six things going on at the same time.
When I watch "Cops," what they don't show is the boredom of the constant patrolling and kind of keeping aware.
That's a real talent out on the street - to keep yourself always activated. If you're involved in action all the time, that comes naturally. That dumps that adrenaline in our systems and we're able to handle it. But, two or three hours and there's nothing going on, you kind of get yourself lulled into this sense of coolness. And all of a sudden that "dump" comes and we're heading to that PI (personal injury) accident or whatever. That physically plays on you. That doesn't really demonstrate that on the cop programs.
TH:If there was something you could change about your job, what would it be?
KW:You just never have enough time. If I could change anything it would be to allow myself more time so I could have more interaction with the officers. I could have more interaction with the public. Be more involved in community.
That's the other end of what I'm about as a police chief: I not only need to be present here (in the department), but also need to be present in the community. Each one of us is an ambassador.