Rutz is on paid administrative leave, Bockelmann reports

By KENT THOMPSON
Humboldt Police Officer Susan Rutz is on paid administrative leave, according to Humboldt City Administrator Cole Bockelmann.
The action took effect Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, Boeckelmann said.
There are no further details being released about Rutz’s position on the force or how long the leave may be in effect.

“As a personnel matter of a city employee I cannot say anymore,” Bockelmann said.
Rutz was hired as a police officer with the city in January 2019. She began her duties as the school resource officer at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year in August of 2019. She previously served as the city’s recreation director and also served as the Chamber of Commerce director for a time.

Bockelmann and Police Chief Joel Sanders said there will be no change to the city police force for the time being. There are seven uniformed officers and the chief.
Sanders confirmed on Monday that Sgt. Erin Bennett is serving as the point of contact for cooperative matters between the Humboldt Police Department and the Humboldt Community School District.
All day shift officers are sharing duties that have previously been conducted by the school resource officer.

Sanders said Bennett is reporting to one of the schools three days a week at 11 a.m through the end of the school day and all officers are cycling through possible needs of the district.
“We felt this was a good time to re-evaluate the school resource officer and make sure we are meeting the needs of the school district. One of the goals I had when I got here (January 2021) was to make sure we are giving the school the best product and resources we can give the school through the school resource officer program. I would call it an ‘audit’ of the school resource officer,” Sanders said.

When Sanders took over two years ago, he described the school as being like a small town as there are several hundred people who are part of the school community every day.
Sanders served as a school resource officer with the East Moline, IL Police Department early in his career in the early 1990s.

Rutz’s leave and with Officer Jim Broad currently attending training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for 16 weeks, the city continues to be short-handed.
Sanders said the department is dealing with the matter by doing some internal restructuring. Although Sanders’ position is administrative in nature, he has pulled some patrol shifts when needed and will respond to calls if other officers are unavailable.

“We recently had a reporting training for the entire department for two days and for those days I was on the streets,” the chief said.