Hunter
08/20/26
Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston wants a permanent squad to patrol the Ped mall, eliciting positive and negative responses from the City Council.
KCRG TV reports Liston believes creating a specialized group of officers dedicated to walking the Ped Mall and increasing the police force by three members could reduce violent crime in the downtown area. Since 2020, Liston said that there have been 430 violent crimes, with 62% of those in the Ped Mall area. During that same period, there have been 20 shootings with 16 gunshot victims.
The majority of council members in attendance Tuesday had reservations about adding more police officers. Councilor Laura Burgess raised concerns about police engagement with minority groups, and accused the city of using this past spring’s shooting on the Ped Mall as a reason to make the changes.
City Manager Geoff Fruin said he feels this is a service the community needs, while acknowledging there’s room for disagreement. He stressed that their plan is, quote, “not capitalizing on a tragedy.”
Fruin also added that the new state law capping property tax revenue will cause the city to make some tough choices to make regarding city services.
Despite the majority of councilors opposing Chief Liston’s proposal, Mayor Bruce Teague asked to have it placed on a future city council agenda.