(West Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) have announced Shelby County Unified Law Enforcement was awarded latelast month with the 2024 ISAC Excellence in Action Award. The Excellence in Action Award Program is a competitive awards program that seeks to identify and recognize innovative county government employees, programs and projects. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the ISAC Annual Conference in Des Moines on August 21^st.

Facing challenges with recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers and adjusting to increasing costs, last year the City of Harlan and Shelby County worked together to consolidate the Harlan Police Department under the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office through a 28E Agreement.

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Since implementing the unified law enforcement services contract, the consolidated agency has seen notable improvements including a streamlined workflow resulting in higher quality and more time-efficient investigations; more successful recruitment efforts due to the ability to offer more competitive compensation, flexibility of shifts and hours, and specialized positions; a single command structure that lends itself to greater oversight, the public knowing who will respond when they call for service, quicker response times, and greater community presence including within the school district; and training that is more efficient, specialized, and cost-effective with the unified force.

This model, officials said, can be implemented in counties and cities across the state, and Shelby County has already fielded inquiries from over 15 jurisdictions statewide interested in replicating the innovation and efficiency of the initiative.