Our Purpose
South Iowa Area Crime Commission is divided into multiple units, with each one responsible for different areas of the law enforcement field. Our office is located in Fairfield, centrally located within our 13 counties.
Member counties benefit through a cost sharing/cost saving cooperative effort. Sheriffs around the region receive a variety of planning, research and legal services affecting their personnel, daily operations and jail administration. They also benefit from timely, secure and economical transports of their juvenile offenders and mental commitments.
Our History
The South Iowa Area Crime Commission (SIACC) was originally organized in the early 1970's, along with several other regional crime commissions, with initial funding from the Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assitance Administration. SIACC is the only remaining Service Agency of its kind in the state.
Primarily created with 21 counties involved, the purpose was to provide law enforcement planning services to governmental bodies, including reviewing grant requests and centralized administrations.
Over time the Crime Commission evolved into providing services to Sheriff's Offices and their jails. This included assistance in the construction of jail facilities to replace aging facilities that did not meet current state and federal jail standards.
Gordon Plepla, the initial Director, developed the Lawsuit Avoidance Project. The goal was to facilitate risk management practices in our jails to alleviate the large number of lawsuits filed by inmates in our counties. The initial emphasis was on the jails. Policies and procedures were prepared and correctional officers were trained to follow those policies.
SIACC expanded to include the preparation of standard operating procedures for the deputies and dispatchers. Fire safety and auditing for jails was also started as well as auditing for the state jail standards. Personnel issues became more prominent as discussions were geared to proper hiring techniques, disciplinary issues and how to terminate an employee.
As new state and federal regulations and standards were implemented such as PREA, FMLA, FLS and HIPPA, Siacc was on the cutting edge in providing training to update enforcement officers.
In 1991, with the leadership of SIACC, the South Iowa Area Detention Service Agency was created, with two detention centers in Montrose and Chariton, Iowa. Unfortunately, due to the reduction in juvenile detention placements, the Chariton facility was forced to shut it's doors. SIACC continues to provide administrative services to the Montrose facility.
Finally, in the 1990's, with the expense for transporting juveniles and mental commitments rising, SIACC started a transport service for its county members saving time and money.
There are several reasons for SIACC's success. First, strong and continued support from core counties who have been with the organization since the inception. Secondly, two former directors' unmatched technical expertise in the area of community corrections and alternative programs put SIACC members far ahead of other counties in the state and kept them there. SIACC began moving forward with a new director and operations manager in 2016, which also brought fresh ideas and renewed commitment to superior customer service. Carrie Folkerts and Shelli Tedrow have a combined total of over 35 years experience in the criminal justice field, ranging from peace officer, jailer/dispatcher, civil processing and administration. As we move forward, the dedicated, untiring efforts of the SIACC staff will continue to gel this organization into an even more tight-knit group of professionals, each making a significant contribution to its success.
All of these cumulatively have established SIACC as a leader in law enforcement circles in the state and around the Midwest.