With his first eight months of service under his belt, Wayland Police Chief Dustin Stuelke is settling into his position.

Stuelke took over as chief after former Chief Ron Roth stepped down after nearly 20 years. After graduating from high school, Stuelke graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska and served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps for 12 years. While in the police corps, he received bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and criminal investigation from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Bellevue University, respectively. Stuelke began ride alongs with Roth in early July 2021 and took over a few weeks later. He shares what drew him to the position, “I actually used to grow up here in Wayland a long time ago. Then when my family got separated we moved away. Then when I moved back to the small town, because I missed it, the job opened up and a lot of the city council and city hall workers remember me from when I was younger and from keeping in touch with my grandparents who live here in town. I think that [didn’t] necessarily help out but they know the kind of hard worker [I am] and dedication I have for the job.”

Stuelke added that he has received a lot of support from community members, city staff, the Iowa State Patrol and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Moving forward, Stuelke says he wants to update the technology in his police car and the office to make day-to-day operations easier and that he looks forward to serving the Wayland community. You can hear more from Stuelke during Friday’s KCII Public Safety Special Edition News Magazine airing at 1 and 6 p.m. and available through the On Demand page.