A new Police Chief will lead the Sioux Center Police Department. Mayor David Krahling has appointed veteran officer Josh Koedam as Sioux Center’s Chief of Police. The council ratified the appointment Monday.
“Josh has a strong commitment to the law enforcement profession and a unique perspective of law enforcement in a town like Sioux Center,” Mayor David Krahling said. “He is eager to invest in all of the officers in the department and to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies serving the area.”
Koedam, a lifelong Sioux Center resident, will be leading the department he has served with since 2009.
“As chief, I see it as having the opportunity to lead by example with the Sioux Center Police Department,” he said. “I look forward to working with our great crew of officers. Some I’ve worked with the majority of my career and we have a cohesiveness from shared experiences. We’re hiring some great new guys as well. Our focus is to continue to keep Sioux Center safe and be a beacon of safety and security of the community.”
Koedam said one priority is continuing to move the department forward, with growth as a whole and as individual officers pursuing specialty areas. Another priority is police department involvement in the community with various opportunities and events.
Koedam’s community perspective stems from his own life growing up in Sioux Center.
“I had so many positive experiences from childhood through today, and I want others to have the same opportunities I’ve had,” he said. “My family lives here, and we have tons of family and friends with kids here, and I want them to have the opportunity to grow up in a great community.”
Koedam said key role models have shaped his passion to serve in law enforcement.
“Mike Halma, who served here, was my neighbor, and Steve Hilt with the Iowa State Patrol – seeing their career and the work they did really piqued my interest,” Koedam said.
As a teen, Koedam job shadowed local officers, and at 18, took a position as a Sioux County jailer. He graduated from Dordt with criminal justice and communication degrees. His junior year at Dordt, Koedam began working part time with the Sioux Center Police Department. His senior year, he was offered a full-time position and he both worked and attended Dordt full time. He has served with the police department since.
Koedam and his wife, Jess, a Registered Nurse at Promise Community Health Center, live in Sioux Center with their two daughters. In his free time, Koedam enjoys hunting and outdoors activities with his family.