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Mason City Today
By the People, for the People
Mason City Welcomes New Police Chief Focused on Recruitment and Retention
Chief Mike McKelvey aims to build a young, tech-savvy force to tackle evolving crime challenges.
Mar. 19, 2026 at 4:06am
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The Mason City Police Department has a new chief, Mike McKelvey, who is tasked with recruiting and retaining a younger generation of officers as the department faces a wave of retirements. McKelvey believes the influx of tech-savvy, younger officers could be an asset in solving complex crimes through advanced policing methods.
Why it matters
Maintaining a strong, well-trained police force is critical for public safety in Mason City. The transition to new leadership provides an opportunity to modernize the department's approach and better equip officers to handle evolving crime trends in the community.
The details
Chief McKelvey plans to focus on succession planning, officer retention, and aggressive recruitment of new talent to replace the many officers who have recently retired from the Mason City Police Department. He sees the younger generation of officers as an advantage, as they are more familiar with advanced policing technologies that can aid in solving complex cases.
- On March 19, 2026, Mike McKelvey officially took over as the new police chief of the Mason City Police Department.
- On the same day, four officers were sworn into new roles, including a new captain, lieutenant, and sergeant.
The players
Mike McKelvey
The new police chief of the Mason City Police Department, tasked with recruiting and retaining a younger, tech-savvy force.
Logan Wernet
The new captain of the Mason City Police Department, who will focus on succession planning and officer retention.
Seth McChesney
A Mason City police officer who was sworn in as a new lieutenant.
Brandon Van Horn
A Mason City police officer who was sworn in as a new sergeant.
Jodi Husintruit
A news anchor whose abduction case could potentially be solved with the help of advanced policing technologies.
What they’re saying
“We've had a lot of retirements over the last few years. We have a very young department now, so there's a lot of training and development there that we'll be doing here in the future.”
— Mike McKelvey, Police Chief
“The younger folks grew up with that. There are a lot more knowledgeable positions and some of that stuff.”
— Mike McKelvey, Police Chief
“When you look at some of the crimes that have been solved from advances in DNA, that's a positive because that technology is always improving, too.”
— Mike McKelvey, Police Chief
“Within the next few years we're going to work on succession training for younger officers. We're going to work on retention for the officers we do have here, and we're going to be aggressive with replacing officers that have retired.”
— Logan Wernet, Police Captain
What’s next
The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.
The takeaway
This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.
