Tommy Baltes Named Officer of the Year in Cedar Falls

Tommy Baltes was recently named Police Officer of the Year for 2025 in Cedar Falls.

The 2015 graduate of Hampton-Dumont High School told the Chronicle that he was inspired to pursue a career in law enforcement by former Hampton Police Chief Bob Schaefer.

“I had really good interactions with the Hampton Police Department growing up, especially Bob,” he said. “And it helped that my dad knew them all because he worked at the paper … That definitely inspired me.”

As a student in high school, he participated in football, baseball and a trap team. After that, he studied criminology and sociology at UNI, eventually graduating with a bachelor's degree in both. He then joined the Cedar Falls Public Safety Department in 2019, spending his first year as a full-time firefighter. Once he had achieved all of his fire certifications, he became a police officer. He's also a member of the SWAT team, a field training officer, a firearms instructor and an armorer. He is currently an investigator for the department, specializing in homicides.

“I was surprised by this honor,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve done anything special. I just go to work and do what I can to help people.”

Tommy and his wife, Kaylin, currently live in Cedar Falls. They are expecting their first bundle of joy, a baby boy, in a month.