State officials say the trooper who was at the wheel of the governor’s SUV when it was spotted speeding in April was given a ticket.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety issued a statement today saying Trooper Steve Lawrence was cited for going 84 in a 65-mile-an-hour zone while driving the governor and lieutenant governor.
The incident came to light after the DCI agent who called the patrol to report the speeding vehicle was fired. The D-C-I and governor said Larry Hedlund’s firing was unrelated to the speeding call. The trooper who responded to the call and then did not pull the vehicle over after learning it was the governor was not disciplined.
The DPS statement says that trooper complied with department policies. The state’s public safety commissioner said in the a written statement that peace officers “must lead by example and obey our traffic laws at all time.”
And he says the agency has taken steps to “strengthen” the rules for troopers in the “executive protection unit” who drive the “governor, first lady, first family, lieutenant governor and other dignitaries.”
The Governor today appointed a retired Supreme Court judge to review Hedlund’s firing.