Wayne Jerman is currently the Police Chief of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. He was sworn in as the City’s 43rd Police Chief on October 29, 2012. Before his leadership position in Cedar Rapids, Jerman was an officer with the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Police for 33 years. Jerman focused the majority of his career to patrol as he believed that this was the area of policing in which he could make the most difference in the lives of those he interacted with each day. He was promoted several times while in patrol before transitioning to training upon promotion to lieutenant. He achieved promotion to captain in 2002 and served as Commander of the Second District (Bethesda) for more than two years until he was appointed Assistant Chief of Police. Jerman retired from Montgomery County at the rank of Assistant Chief, serving as Chief of two bureaus; the Investigative Services Bureau from 2007-2010, and as Chief of the Field Services Bureau from 2010-2012.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department is a full-service agency comprised of 213 officers and over 60 non-sworn employees. The department serves 128,000 residents and is responsible for 73 square miles. The Police Chief oversees the Police Department, Joint Communications Agency, and Animal Care & Control. Since his arrival in Cedar Rapids, he has increased the department’s community outreach efforts and formed stronger partnerships with law enforcement partners within Iowa, as well as increasing the department’s participation with federal task forces. Other significant accomplishments include overseeing the establishing a nuisance abatement program and enforcement unit, the creation of the Police Chief’s Advisory Committee, and the creation and implementation of the Cedar Rapids Police Community Action Team to further promote police-community relationships while addressing crime and quality of life conditions. From 2013 to 2015, Part One Violent Crime has decreased 10.5 percent in Cedar Rapids.

Jerman is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the Iowa Police Chiefs Association (IPCA), where he has been selected to represent IPCA as the legislative representative at the Iowa General Assembly.

Jerman’s education includes a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Arts from Frostburg State University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 236, and completed the FBI’s National Executive Institute, Session 35 in September 2012.