City of New Hampton Hires New Police Chief

The New Hampton Police Department has their man.

The New Hampton City Council Monday (06.17) night approved the hiring of Conrad Rosendahl as their next Chief of Police. Mayor Steve Geerts says Rosendahl met with members of the police department after the Council meeting and that his hiring is a “big relief” for the City.

Geerts says Rosendahl has been the Police Chief in Lansing (IA) for the past five years andhas been in law enforcement since 2007. He is slated to start leading the NHPD on July 1st, which will cap an eventful past couple of months for the City.

In mid-April, former Police Chief Tim Pederson resigned amid controversy following an off-duty incident the City said did not meet the expectations of a police chief’s position. Officer Doug Eagan was named interim chief, but he himself resigned a little over a week later after almost 16 years with the NHPD. Officer Chad McGee has been interim chief since May 9th.

After a petition with some 600 signatures failed to get Pederson re-instated, the City Council hoped to extend a contract offer during its May 20th meeting, but Geerts said an “unforeseen situation” put that on hold. On June 3rd, the Council approved to advertise for the position again.

Rosendahl was interviewed last week by the hiring committee before his appointment as Police Chief was confirmed unanimously by the Council Monday night

NHPD is still short one officer, with the deadline for applications currently set for Thursday (06.20). However, Geerts says that will likely be extended due to a lack of applications thus far, although they have leads on possible candidates.