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'Cared about his community'; Winterset Police Chief Ken Burk passes away at 59

Police Chief Ken Burk served as the chief of police for the past 20 years for a team of nine total officers.

WINTERSET, Iowa — Winterset Police Chief Ken Burk passed away on Friday, July 21, after two decades of service to his community.

The Winterset Police Department posted a message honoring Burk on their Facebook Friday, which reads in part:

"Chief Burk has proudly led the Winterset Police Department for the past 20 years. We kindly ask that you keep the Burk family and the Winterset Police Department in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Burk served as the chief of police for the past twenty years for a team of nine total officers. It's not only the Winterset Police Department who are grieving the loss of their police chief, but city officials who knew him well.

Winterset City Administrator Drew Barden said he had a very close relationship with Chief Burk.

He was "professional, collaborative, honest, a leader, confident," Barden told Local 5 with tears welling in his eyes. 

Barden added: “[Chief Burk] cared about his community. He didn’t just do a job. He truly felt like he was serving and protecting his community.”

Winterset has a population of just over 5,300 people, and Barden said almost everyone knew Chief Burk.

"Chief is ... a part of this community," Barden explained. "Chief wasn't just doing a job, chief was a citizen of Winterset as well."

Someone Winterset mayor Philip Macumber knew for many years. Macumber told Local 5 News that Burk would sit in on city council meetings even when he didn’t have to, because he just cared so much about improving the city of Winterset.

“It’s been tolling on me not only professionally, but personally," Barden said.

Chief Burk's passing on Friday has been a difficult situation for Barden and the rest of the community — the he lived to serve.

“The Winterset Police department, [Burk’s] family, the city staff and this community are grieving his loss," Barden said.

“Chief was the epitome of what a police officer is," he added. "And that was protecting and serving this community.”

The funeral service to honor Chief Ken Burk's life is pending and arrangements are being handled at Caldwell Parrish, Winterset Chapel, the city said.

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