Lang
3/30/24
North Liberty Police Chief Diane Venenga has been placed on a paid leave of absence pending an investigation into how she runs her department.
Last Sunday, the unions that represent North Liberty’s officers and sergeants issued a vote of no confidence in Venenga. Both unions say the vote came after years of Venenga ignoring surveys which show dissatisfaction within the department. Among the complaints are poor communication, hypocritical decision making and enforcement, decision making based on emotion and hearsay, blaming others for mistakes, inability to hire and retain officers, and vindictiveness and retaliatory practices. The unions say Venenga confronted the allegations with “continued sarcasm and hostility”, leading many officers to seek employment elsewhere.
The unions say a change in leadership is necessary, and they’re calling for the North Liberty City Council to take immediate action.
North Liberty Community Relations Director Nick Bergus issued a news release Saturday morning saying Venenga had been placed on paid leave pending an independent investigation. Bergus says union representatives presented city officials with the results of the latest satisfaction survey earlier this week. However, Bergus also claims city leaders were blindsided by news of the no confidence vote, saying they only learned of it after reading about it on a news station’s web site.
The next North Liberty city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9th.