Police Department

 

The City is served by the Forest City Police Department, which provides “24/7” police protection with 8 full-time officers. The Chief of Police is appointed by the Mayor with council approval. The Department is currently lead by Chief Thomas Montgomery, a veteran officer with more than 20 years experience in Iowa Law Enforcement.The department also has 12 volunteer police reserves and two part-time civilian employees.

Mission:

The mission of the Forest City Police Department is to protect the lives and property of the people we serve. We recognize the importance of treating our community and each other with fairness, respect and honor. We value the importance of respecting the human dignity of all people and are committed to the highest standard of integrity and ethical behavior. 

History: 

The police department was established when the city was founded in 1878. Prior to the 1970s the Police Department was housed in the basement of the city hall building. This building, which is still City Hall today, included a city jail and offices. 

In the 1970's Iowa began establishing centralized police and communications centers. As part of this development, in 1976 the Forest City Police Department, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, and the Winnebago County Communications Office moved into the "old Forest City Hospital". This building, located at 216 South Clark Street in Forest City, also housed the County Jail. These cooperative, combined locations were called LECs (Law Enforcement Center). 

In 1994 the Police Department moved from the LEC to the empty Robertelle Center building located at 525 North 4th Street. The County Disaster Office, now called the Emergency Management Office, moved into the LEC building which is located on Highway 69. The Robertelle Center was remodeled by the city and included offices upstairs and a training room downstairs. The donation of a Forest City citizen allowed the police department to build a police garage behind the new police station.