Rhamy, Jennings reflect on 2025

The Red Oak Police Department has wrapped up an active 2025.
Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy and ROPD community liaison Amber Jennings broke down the numbers from 2025, stating that the dispatch center received 12,335 calls last year.
“Those calls encompass the entire county Of those calls, we covered 6,974 of those, with the rest of the calls going to fire and rescue, the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies,” commented Rhamy.
Rhamy broke down the numbers of the variety of calls the police department responded to in 2025.
“We had 23 OWIs which is one less compared to the previous year. We also had less traffic stops, 1,593 two years ago versus 1,513 this past year. We were up on citations last year by a little bit. We wrote 295 in 2024 and we’re up to 331 citations issued last year We also wrote more warnings this year. We wrote 864 in 2024, and 1,005 last year. Arrests were also up from 234 in 2024 to 276 in 2025. The total number of incidents that we that we were dispatched to, or investigated, was 531,” Rhamy advised. “Accidents were more prevalent as well. We had 58 accidents in 2024, and this past year we were up to 61. Those were the accidents that were reportable.”
Rhamy said the number of domestic incidents has gone down from 2024. The ROPD responded to 205 incidents in 2024, and 175 in 2025.
“I think those numbers are continuing to fall the further we get from the COVID-19 pandemic. Everybody’s not hanging out at home as much as they have been for the last few years so that’s always a plus,” Rhamy stated. “We also continue to respond to mental health calls as needed, many more than we did 10 years ago. There’s probably not a week that goes by that we don’t deal with one if not two or three mental health calls.”
Jennings said the instances of people misdialing 911 and hanging up have also continued to decrease.
“I haven’t seen too many calls lately come through and in 2025, dispatch only had 64 calls of that nature. I think a lot of people are figuring out that you need to stay on the line in these situations,” explained Jennings.
Rhamy said there is a new feature on iPhones that he believes contributes to the occasional misdial of 911.
“The iPhone has a setting for crash detection. If you abruptly drop your phone and it impacts hard and you don’t have the setting turned off it will send as emergency distress call to wherever it’s located. We’ve gotten some of those calls. In some cases, the phone just literally comes off of the center console, hits the floor, and it’s calling 9-1-1. Sometimes though, it comes in handy. We had an accident north of town by the river bridge and that feature was activated on the driver’s phone and that’s how we were notified of the accident,” Rhamy said.
For part of 2025, ROPD officers were writing warnings following the passage of the new Hands-Free law in Iowa that prohibits people from being on their cell phones when driving. As of Jan. 1 of this year, the grace period has ended.
“Now if you’re caught using your cell phone while driving, you’ll be issued a $100 citation, and there will be $70 in court costs, so $170 in total. If you’re using it and cause an accident, be it property damage or personal injury, the citation is $500, and if that accident leads to a fatality, the citation is $1,000. When I’m in my civilian vehicle, I do occasionally see people using their cell phones so they need to be aware they’re going to be getting fined for that,” advised Rhamy. “I do see we’re at a lower number of fatality crashes across the state of Iowa for the year, which might be contributed to this new law. It’s also important to note that even if you’re stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, if you use your phone, you’re still in violation and will be cited. Until the vehicle is off the traveled portion of the roadway and parked, you’re still considered in control of the vehicle and in violation of the law.”
Staffing wise, Rhamy said the ROPD retained every one of its officers in 2025, though one officer, Ethan Stewart, is on leave.
“He was a new hire two years ago, we sent him to the academy and then he got deployed with our National Guard Armory as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and he’s been on deployment since June of last year. We’re anxiously awaiting his arrival back to us and I know his family’s definitely missing him as well. We’ve been fortunate that in the absence of Ethan, Adam Smith has graciously come back to work with us on a part-time basis to kind of fill in and take some of the burden off the guys that they would have had while Ethan is overseas,” Rhamy commented.
The ROPD vehicle fleet is also strong, with a new vehicle about to be added.
“We bought a Ford Explorer through TNT Ford and we’re just waiting on some equipment to come in so we can send it off to get it fitted into service and serving the community. For the most part everything has kind of transitioned to SUVs. Dodge still produces a Charger but it’s just a rear-wheel drive, so agencies are kind of avoiding those Dodge sedans anymore. You’re seeing a lot of the Tahoes the Durangos and the Ford Interceptor. SUVs have become the norm at this point,” Rhamy stated.
Throughout 2025, Rhamy said technology has continued to evolve with the implementation of the system Lexipol.
“We’ve implemented a new policy and procedure manual which is actually developed by Lexipol. It’s a nationwide company that employs a team of individuals that cover our state so any Supreme Court rulings or changes to state law that are going to have any sort of effect on public safety policies and procedures. They monitor those changes and notify us when things are changed,” said Rhamy. “Being able to have somebody monitor that and make those changes for us has been extremely beneficial. We were trying to do that all on our own beforehand and write these policies. It’s been a very simple process, and it’s huge safety net for us that allows us to make sure that we’re we are truly understanding these changes and how they affect what we do. If the guys have a question about a policy or procedure they can look up said policy or said case law and develop their course action from the field on the fly.”
In 2025, the ROPD also enjoyed another successful National Night Out event at Fountain Square Park.
“National Night Out has been a very popular thing since we established it back in 2016. Obviously, we wouldn’t pull it off if Amber didn’t do all the work she does behind the scenes to make it a success every year. It takes a lot to make it happen and we have a lot of support from various entities who assist in any way they can,” stated Rhamy.
2025 was also a big year for the National Drug Takeback with an event and a drop box that is permanently housed at the law enforcement center.
“This year, we collected 130 pounds of expired or unused prescriptions and over-the-counter medications that we took up to Omaha to the DEA. The take back box located in the front of the law enforcement center can be used at any time during the day. Even if the office is closed, the dispatchers can let someone in to dispose of their unwanted items. The only thing they can’t put in the box are liquid medicines or needles,” advised Jennings.
As they move into 2026, Jennings said she’s anxious to unveil a new feature at the area schools and other events, a vehicle that simulates impaired driving.
“We now have in our possession an impaired pedal car that will make a person feel like they were impaired by either alcohol or distracted driving. We have plans to implement it into the schools and have it be available for people to experience at this year’s National Night Out and during Junction Days,” Jennings said.
As for Rhamy, he said he and the ROPD will continue with its public relations expansion across the board.
“This is how we garner the trust in the public, by letting the public know who we are and what to expect from us when we do show up, or when they find themselves in a situation where they have to deal with us or the fire department. One thing that definitely benefits us here in the Midwest is that there are a lot of law enforcement supporters and continuing to expand our public relations also allows us to show that appreciation to those supporters that we have,” Rhamy explained.