Nestled in the heart of America along the mighty Mississippi River, Davenport, Iowa, is the urban pulse at the heart of the Quad Cities, rich in history and character, where country and city converge, and folks with a Midwestern mentality plant personal and professional roots, living a unique metropolitan lifestyle with a hometown feel. Located halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, Davenport covers 66 square miles, is the third largest city in Iowa, and is the anchor of the Quad Cities with a regional population of roughly 385,000 people. 

The Davenport Police Department is the third largest municipal law enforcement agency in the State of Iowa. The department is responsible for patrolling Davenport’s 66 square miles with over 500 miles of city streets, and responding to calls for service from the City’s over 100,000 residents. The Davenport Police Department’s 167 sworn employees and 25 civilians handle, on average, approximately 101,000 calls for service annually with a fiscal budget of $28.6 million.  The Davenport Police Department has been accredited since 2003.

Department Leadership 

Chief Jeffery Bladel is a 29-year veteran of the Davenport Police Department. He is a life long resident of Davenport who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis from Michigan State University.  He has served the department in every division and has many years of investigative experience.  Chief Bladel has led the Department’s involvement with the Department of Justice Public Safety Partnership program and has also recently led the creation of a new Crime Analytics Unit.

The Department's Assistant Chief Police, Major Jamie Brown, is a 28-year veteran of the department. Major Brown has served in all divisions within the Davenport Police Department and has worked in numerous critical assignments and incidents.

Divisions/Bureaus/Units

The Davenport Police Department operates under four separate divisions. The Administrative Division houses the Police Chief and Assistant Chief of Police, including Internal Affairs. The Patrol Division is the department’s largest with approximately 97 sworn employees. Patrol officers provide 24-7-365 coverage of Davenport’s 66 square miles over three shifts. Specialty units within this division include K-9 and Traffic Safety. The second largest division with approximately 37 sworn employees is the Criminal Investigation Division – which houses the Detective Bureau and Tactical Operations. Specialty units within the Detective Bureau include Major Case Unit, Special Victims Unit, and the Afternoon Unit.  Specialty units within Tactical Operations include the Gun Unit and the Narcotics Unit.  Services is the final division encompassing the Identification Bureau, Records Bureau, Crime Prevention Bureau, and Training Bureau. The Department’s 30 member Emergency Services Team (EST) has sworn employees assigned from all divisions. EST’s mission is to deliver a safe and effective response to high risk - incidents and unusual occurrences requiring specialized training and equipment. 

Training

The State of Iowa (IA Admin Code: 501-8.1) requires that all regular law enforcement officers receive a minimum of 12 hours per year, or 36 hours every three years, of law enforcement related in-service training. The Davenport Police Department provides each officer an average of 50-60 hours of training per year. Topics include, but are not limited to:  Use of Force, Driving, Ethics, Bias Based Profiling, Tactical Medicine, Mental Health, Handcuffing, Defensive Tactics, Multiple Officer Control Tactics, De-Escalation, Verbal Defense & Influence (VDI), Legal Updates, Less Lethal Weapons, Firearms, Blood Borne Pathogens, Hazard Communications, Basic Life Support (BLS), Mandatory Reporting, Fair and Impartial Policing, and Force on Force Drills.  

The Davenport Police Department’s training facilities include an indoor tactical range, a dedicated 26’ x 40’ mat room for defensive tactics training, a dedicated Use-of-Force Lab for reality-based training, and a 94-seat auditorium-style classroom.   

ACCREDITATION

The Davenport Police Department has been accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 2003.
 
In 2018, DPD received an enhanced Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation. This award recognizes agencies that have been accredited for fifteen or more continuous years. This accreditation is an ongoing process where agencies are reviewed and evaluated on policy, procedures, and practice against established standards and have their compliance with those standards verified by an independent team of assessors.

On July 23, 2022, the department earned its seventh accreditation continuing the tradition of excellence in public safety.

• Must be 21 years of age at the time of list certification
• Must have a high school diploma or GED
• Must be a US Citizen at the time of the written examination
• Must be able to pass an extensive background check and submit to a polygraph exam
• Must have uncorrected vision of not less than 20/100 in each eye, corrected to 20/20 in each eye, normal color vision, normal hearing, and a high level of physical endurance
• Must establish residence within 20 miles of the corporate city limits of Davenport (view residency map)
  **For full qualification details refer to the Police Information Packet at the bottom of the page.

• Enforces all ordinances and laws of the City of Davenport, State of Iowa, and the United States of America
• Protects life and property, and maintains order
• Interacts with a diverse population 
• Often deals with emotionally distressed individuals 
• Utilizes problem solving skills, creativity and innovative approaches to identify and resolve community problems/concerns
• Drives emergency vehicles, pursues suspects, investigates incidents, and interviews victims and suspects
• Writes reports and testifies in court
• Performs other related duties as required

Base salary starting jULY 1, 2025

Step 1 | $67,944
Step 2 | $72,774
Step 5 | $78,365
*3.5% annual increase yearly until 7/1/2026 as negotiated by the Police Union

Special Hiring incentives

Relocation assistance if moving from 60 miles or more to the City of Davenport city limits: $1,000 if renting or $2,000 if purchasing

Home Base Iowa Community (*for veterans purchasing a home only)
$5,000 tax credit through the State of Iowa (Payable at closing)
$1,500 closing costs reimbursement from Scott County
$1,500 closing costs reimbursement from the City of Davenport

HeaLth Insurance Premium Contributions 

(Per Month) (Includes health, prescription, vision, and dental)
Single | $37.23
Employee +1 | $64.71
Family | $93.08
90/10 coverage in-network and 70/30 coverage out-of-network
100% coverage for mental health services for employee and dependents

Prescriptions

Tier I -$5
Tier II - $20
Tier III - $40
Preventative drugs covered at 100%
Other Health Benefits
One physical per year covered at 100%
Deductibles ($250 individual, $500 per family)
Max out-of-pocket Individual / $1,000 in-network and $2,000 out-of-network
Max out-of-pocket family / $2,000 in-network and $4,000 out-of-network

Life Insurance

One times the base salary

Time Off Accruals 

Vacation | Employees in first five years of employment will earn 80 hours annually of vacation / remainder of schedule is as follows:
- 1-5 years | 80 hours
- 6-11 years | 120 hours
- 12-17 years | 160 hours
- 18-23 years | 200 hours
- 24+ years | 240 hours
Sick | Employees accrue 120 hours per year; maxes out at 960 hours

Qualifications

Must be a full-time certified peace officer at the time of application deadline
Must meet the same minimum qualifications as noncertified applicants
Out-of-State applicants: Must be eligible to take the competency test or tests to gain Iowa law enforcement officer certification

Starting Pay as of jULY 1, 2025

A newly hired police officer who has laterally transferred to the Davenport Police Department will receive starting pay commensurate with his/her sworn and certified law enforcement experience. Once hired, lateral transfers will progress through the steps of the salary schedules in accordance with the Police collective bargaining agreement.

Step 1: 0 to 1 year of service (0 through 364 days): $67,944
Step 3: 1 to 3 years of service (1 years through 2 years and 364 days): $74,610
Step 4: 3 to 5 years of service (3 years through 5 years and 364 days): $76,469
Step 5: 5 to 7 years of service (5 years through 6 years and 364 days): $78,365
Step 6: 7 or more years of service (7 years or more): $80,338

Paid Leave

A newly hired police officer who has laterally transferred to the Davenport Police Department with at least one (1) year of sworn law enforcement experience will be provided with forty (40) hours of vacation leave and forty (40) hours of sick leave after successful completion of the Davenport Police Department’s FTO program.

Training

Out of State applicants who are hired under the lateral transfer program will be required to complete a Certification through Examination Test (CET) through ILEA per Iowa Code 501-3.8, as well as any other legally required training or certifications.
 
All lateral transfer applicants will be required to complete the Davenport Police Department’s FTO program.

Written Testing

Once a completed application is on file, a study guide may be obtained at Davenport City Hall, Human Resources Office (226 W 4th Street Davenport, IA 52801). Out of town applicants may obtain a study guide by calling 563-326-7711. Interested in taking a practice test of the police officer written exam? Go to Stanard and Associates, Inc. Online POST Practice Test at https://www.applytoserve.com/Study/

Physical Testing

The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council, in recognizing the importance of physical fitness in job performance, established the physical test regimen as a pre-employment standard effective February 15, 1993. Provisions were modified August 6, 2020 to the 2017 Cooper Test Standards. No person can be selected or appointed as a law enforcement officer without first successfully passing all of the elements of this test, as prescribed in Iowa Code 501 IAC 2.1(6), adopted pursuant to Section 80B 11(5), Code of Iowa).
 
After being given a conditional offer of employment, prior to entry to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, every individual will be given the same physical test as an assessment for training purposes and to ensure that each recruit can undergo the physical demands of the Academy without undue risk of injury. If, at the time of entrance to the Academy, an officer does not meet minimum standards, he or she will not be admitted.
 
Click here for information on physical testing standards.