Okoboji, IA (KICD)– The City of Okoboji will be adding to its police force in the coming months after the city council agreed on Tuesday to hire an officer that will serve as a shared investigator with Arnolds Park.

Chief Jason Petersen says the primary role of this newly created position would be to focus on “bigger” crimes taking place within the two communities.

Chief Petersen says this position can also be used for looking into more complicated cases like scams, but in the event of a major crime having an investigator would add an extra level of expertise in the event extra help from outside agencies is not immediately available.

The new investigator will also have some freedom to follow-up on cases that perhaps originated in Okoboji or Arnolds Park but involves a party not from the local area.

This position will have the new officer serving primarily as a member of the Okoboji Police Department with Arnolds Park essentially being billed for time spent on investigations in that community which is very similar to another shared officer between the two cities, but that officer spends a majority of the time in Arnolds Park.

Chief Petersen is hoping to have the spot filled by the start of the next fiscal year in July.