Let's Catch Up! June '26

SERGEANT BEHIND DMPD DATA

Des Moines police Sgt. Bryan O’Donnell is quick to acknowledge he loves data and organization.

That’s a good thing: When I visited Sgt. O’Donnell, in his tidy second-floor office at police headquarters, I counted 54 tasks on the whiteboard behind his desk. Yes, this sergeant has a boatload of duties.

Sgt. O’Donnell manages the department’s tasks to achieve Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation while overseeing the department’s policies, referred to as General Orders or Directives. You could call him a real-life cast member of the Blue Bloods TV show: His dad, Dennis, retired as a detective and the department’s victim resource officer. His uncle Jim retired as a deputy chief. And a cousin, Mindy O’Donnell, works in DMPD dispatch.

The public can peruse DMPD policies at the City’s website. Some policies are withheld from public release if they contain specialized tactical or operational information that could jeopardize safety or diminish police operation effectiveness.

Nearly all General Orders have been updated within the last five years, Sgt. O’Donnell told me. He’s led the department’s revision of 16 within the last 12 months.

“Right now, I’m soliciting improvements to our pregnancy policy,” Sgt. O’Donnell said. “And I’m making sure our mission, vision, and values align with Chief [Michael] McTaggart’s new strategic plan, distributed in February.” Signaling the significance of his role, Sgt. O’Donnell reports directly to the police chief.

For revisions, Sgt. O’Donnell can lean on information from the International Association of Chiefs of Police along with his CALEA peer group, which includes officers from Cedar Rapids, Clive, Urbandale, Waukee, and West Des Moines. “There are no trade secrets,” Sgt. O’Donnell assured me.

“And I’m looking at how other departments address professional and personal burnout,” he added. “The Louisville Metro PD has a good model for this.

“For example, if an officer has an uptick in use-of-force incidents, we want to flag that for a conversation, not to be confused with discipline. The goal is to adopt early intervention—get officers help before something becomes a problem.”

A panel of captains and the department executive staff (lieutenants and above) review policy changes, and then each employee electronically acknowledges receipt of and understanding of the changes. Civil employees sign changes that apply to their duties.

To prepare for the department’s first CALEA accreditation on-site assessment team in February 2027, the department will host a mock assessment by seasoned assessors this August or September. The assessors will review all 184 CALEA standards and seek proof of compliance.

BEMINIO TRAIL AT GLENDALE

Former City Council member Chris Coleman spoke May 27 at the dedication of the 0.4-mile Sgt. Tony Beminio Trail that wraps around the Glendale Cemetery Pond. Sgt. Beminio, an 11-year DMPD officer, was shot and killed Nov. 2, 2016, in an ambush while on patrol near Merle Hay Road and Sheridan Avenue. Twenty minutes earlier the same evening, the same gunman fatally shot Urbandale Officer Justin Martin at 70th Street and Aurora Avenue.

SECOND CHANCE MOVES FORWARD

Second Chance Program for Pre-Charge Diversion, a youth restorative justice program operated by the Des Moines Police Department, will transition July 1 to Chance for Change under the umbrella of the Employee & Family Resources (EFR), a local nonprofit. This transition assures continued community support of youth.

Haley Pederson Hundley, director of EFR’s community-based services, told me that her organization will continue working with DMPD officers and school resources to make sure that “no one gets lost.”

“We will be similar to Second Chance,” Haley told me, “to work with code of conduct violations in schools and low-level [non-violent] offenses or suspicions from police.

“Chance for Change is fully funded by a grant—free of charge to the family.”

The youth participants can avoid suspension or expulsion from school. In police-related cases, criminal offenses are expunged upon successful completion of the program.

Youth and a supportive adult sign a contract to participate in a 45-day “circle-based” restorative justice program.

Margaret Wright, president of the King Irving Neighborhood Association, applauds the continued programming. “We need thriving youth,“ Margaret wrote in an email. “We have seen Second Chance turn around youth to become working adults and better contributing citizens.

“Any juvenile record can derail a youth from further education and employment opportunities and place them in the company of truly hardened incarcerated.”

Contact Haley for more details.

ICON TOUR OF DES MOINES SITES

The ICON Water Trails project, delayed a year by three high-water events, is now expected to be completed late in 2026. The $58 million project at the Scott Avenue Dam, at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers near Principal Park, includes whitewater features (similar to Columbus, Georgia features), shoreline trails to the river’s edge, and improved fish habitats.

On June 9, Henry Westemeyer, a civil engineer with Snyder and Associates, updated local elected officials and interested parties on the project. The group also toured the $27 million Hubbell Trailhead on the Raccoon River adjacent to Gray’s Lake Park, which includes a tamer whitewater feature, with parking for canoeists and kayakers. A temporary bridge allows the contractor to work on the south bank of the Raccoon without disturbing the nearby Kruidenier Trail at Gray’s Lake Park.

The Polk County Conservation Board will manage the nearby 30-acre wooded area on the north bank of the Raccoon River. Plans call for this area to open in the summer of 2028.

The $3 million Harriet Street take-out point, located east of Southeast 14th Street, is now complete. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be scheduled later.

FIRST-TIME ARTS FESTIVAL EXHIBITOR

The journey of fiber artist Megan Hammer from Mainframe Studios to her booth at the Des Moines Arts Festival is less than a mile—possibly the shortest trip among the 195 invited artists for the 29th annual event.

Megan will be a first-time exhibitor on her third time applying to the annual juried show, June 26–28, in Western Gateway Park. There is no admission charge. She is among 18 Iowa artists who survived the winnowing process; 943 artists from 45 states applied.

And—drum roll!—for the first time, Megan was also selected to exhibit this summer at the Art Fair on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Geneva Arts Fair in the Chicago western suburbs.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in arts and a major in painting and drawing, Megan took a 10-year break from art while working in the service industry, including managing a restaurant.

Her return to the arts began with a Robyn Paul fiber class in Winterset, which rekindled Megan’s artistic genes and set her on the path to wet-felting and needle-felting.

On close examination, what looks to be a painting is actually wool. Merino wool is Megan’s favorite material.

Megan’s booth at the Des Moines event will feature wet-felted landscapes created by combining dyed wool with soap, water, and friction or pressure. “I really enjoy mixing and blending colors,” Megan told me. “With soap, water, and friction, the scales in sheep’s wool begin to close and lock together. Part of the fun is the surprise of how the fibers meld together.”

Cloudscapes inspire Megan. “I like combining intense skies with prairie flowers. I use needle-felting for the flowers.”

Some of Megan’s most popular smaller pieces at the Arts Festival will sell for $60 to $175.

Megan conducts needle-felting classes in her second-floor Mainframe studio, and occasionally at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and Polk County’s Jester Park in Granger. She recently added 3-inch-diameter felt bowls to her class offerings.

A ROYAL TREE NOW GROWS

At a May 26 ceremony, River Bend Neighborhood Association President Kathy Hellstern watered a swamp oak planted in Jon Royal’s honor at the Reichardt Community Recreation Center, 915 College Avenue. Jon, a former neighborhood president, was a long-time River Bend activist. He died on November 1, 2024.

ARTIST LIONS ROAM METRO

Have you noticed the lions out and about in the metro area? You’ll want to check out the 13 lions sprinkled around the area as part of the Blank Park Zoo’s 60th anniversary celebration. “Fierce Bloom,” above, created by Lauren Pesta, is on display at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Each lion, custom-designed by an Iowa artist, will remain on display through the Labor Day weekend. Roar and Explore locations. And speaking of lions: Later this summer, the zoo will debut the Marjorie A. Foster Lion Conservation Center, which triples the space for the zoo's lively lion pride.

BIG DAY FOR PARKS NONPROFIT

Irv Stone, 87, makes a hydration stop at el Bait Shop on June 12 as part of the FORE! Our Parks charity golf outing and bike ride to benefit Friends of Des Moines Parks. The Waveland Golf Course entertained 144 golfers while 200-plus cyclists pedaled around Des Moines trails. Late in the afternoon, golfers and cyclists converged on the Waveland Clubhouse and devoured 83 Fat Joe’s pizzas. The 13th annual event is expected to net more than $60,000 earmarked for park projects. Irv was believed to be the oldest cyclist on the ride. Keep it up, Irv!

HILLTOP FINISH AT WAVELAND RUN/WALK

Emily LoRang, 9, was the first finisher in the kids’ “Conquer the Hill” event at the June 12 Waveland Twilight Run/Walk at the Waveland Golf Course. The event, sponsored by the Waveland Park Neighborhood Association, offers residents the opportunity to walk or run 9 or 18 holes on the historic public golf course. The sixth annual event drew nearly 90 participants. That’s Emily’s parents, Chris LoRang and Abbie Sawyer, holding the finish-line tape.

NEW BOOKMARKS FOR YOUNG READERS

Claire Hotvet helps her daughters, Dani, left, and Kimberly, create new bookmarks Saturday at a Des Moines Public Library booth at PrideFest in the East Village. During the day, library staff had 444 interactions with PrideFest visitors and issued eight library cards for new patrons.

SUNSHINE, SMILES AT PRIDE PARADE

There’s nothin’ like a marching band in a parade! Rachel Gulick was all smiles June 14 while marching with her 80-plus Iowa Pride Ensembles bandmates in the PrideFest parade. Trumpeter Rachel also serves as the community liaison for the group, which was organized just over a year ago.