The City of Pella has named Lt. Paul Haase as the Interim Chief of Police, filling the vacancy created by the recent resignation of Chief Robert Bokinsky. Lieutenant Haase will begin
serving in this role effective March 7th.

Lt. Haase was hired as a Pella police officer in 2002, is an Iraq War veteran serving with the 186th Military Police Unit (’03) and is a graduate of William Penn University earning a bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration. Lt. Haase previously worked as a field training officer and was assigned as an investigator to the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force for three years. Haase was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 2011 and graduated from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command in 2014.

In accordance with State of Iowa Code, an individual’s term as an Interim Chief of Police is limited to 90 days. It is anticipated that the selection process for a permanent Chief of Police will
exceed this span, accordingly Lt. David Beukelman has been selected to follow Lt. Haase and serve as Interim Police Chief until the permanent Chief is named.

David Beukelman was hired as a Pella police officer in 1999. He graduated from Dordt College with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and worked as a school resource officer prior to being promoted to lieutenant in 2008. Lt. Beukelman previously served as the Interim Chief of Police in 2011 and is a 2010 graduate of the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute.