07/22/2025
Congratulations to Captain Aaron McClelland who was officially promoted to the Waterloo Police Department’s Assistant Police Chief position at tonight’s city council meeting.
The Clear Lake native ended up graduating from Cedar Falls High School, went to Hawkeye Community College, decided to pursue law enforcement, was hired in 1997 and never left.
“I’ll be honest with you, when I came here in 1997 the only thing I wanted to do is be a cop and here I sit as the Assistant Chief of the Waterloo Police Department now, but never guessed that. You know it’s part of my journey and I’m excited to serve our officers. I’m excited to serve the citizens of Waterloo. I think we’re on a great track.”
You name the role, McClelland has probably done it: patrolman on every shift, sergeant promotion in 2008, head of Citizens Response Unit (CRU) for a few years, patrol supervisor on 2nd and 3rd shifts, detective, lieutenant promotion in 2014, detective commander, training unit in 2019, captain promotion in 2022, and now the administrative division as assistant
police chief.
Advice for young people pursuing a similar career?
“A career in law enforcement is not going to be an easy one. You have to have a huge support system and that starts with family, but if it’s something that you love and it’s something that you think you can do you just never know what’s gonna happen. I’m a kid that came from Cedar Falls and I’m the assistant police chief with one of the largest agencies in the state of Iowa.”
He adds training is key.
“I would say take every opportunity you can to better yourself, which will in essence better the department and pass that on to the people that you work with. It just comes full circle.”
Away from work, McClelland works out at least three days a week, and calls himself “an avid bow hunter and golf fanatic.”
He and his wife Tanya have one son, 22-year-old Michael.
Funny story on the job?
“I was a new officer on second shift and I was patrolling the University Avenue area, and at that time we were having a lot of complaints from the public about loud car stereos… I heard an unbelievably loud car stereo so I was sure of which vehicle it was. I pulled into the gas station parking lot and I told him why I stopped him, and he looked at me funny and gave me his license, registration and all of the things. I went back and issued a citation for loud music coming from a vehicle… he politely told me, ‘Sir, my speakers were stolen in a car burglary two days ago’, and I looked in the back window and sure enough there were holes where the speakers used to be so I promptly ripped that ticket up and sent him on his way with an apology.”
