Lt. Rob Burdess has been selected as the next police chief of the Newton Police Department.
“It’s definitely a great honor and I look forward to leading the fine men and women of the Newton Police Department and continuing to make Newton a safe place to work and live,” Burdess said.
Burdess has accepted a conditional offer from City Administrator Bob Knabel.
Burdess has 18 years of experience in law enforcement, serving both the University of Iowa Police Department and the Newton force. He has served as a detective and patrol officer. He also worked as the DARE coordinator, commander of the SWAT team, traffic safety coordinator, field training officer, K-9 instructor and president of the Newton Police Association.
Previously, Burdess served as president of the Iowa State Police Association, president of the Rabiner Treatment Center and as an adjunct instructor at DMACC.
Burdess has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public administration and recently completed the police staff and command school at Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.
“It was a really difficult decision because we had some highly qualified candidates with a lot of experience,” Knabel said. “The general consensus was that Rob would be the best. I am excited to work with him. He has a great vision and ideas for the department, and I am excited to see where it will go.”
The offer is conditioned upon the successful competition of a background check including reference checks, employment history, psychological, polygraph and a physical exam. Once successfully completed, the appointment will become effective on Sept. 2.
Burdess will replace retiring police chief Jeff Hoebelheinrich. Hoebelheinrich served for 33 years with the Newton Police Department with the last six serving as chief. His final day is Sept. 1.
Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com