A new leader for the Iowa State Patrol will be sworn in Friday. The Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens has seleced Captain Nathan Fulk to take over as the 17th Chief of the Iowa State Patrol. Fulk is a 22-year veteran of the patrol, who has most recently been serving as an … [Read more...]
State saw more highway crashes, but fewer highway deaths in 2018
Fewer people were killed in traffic crashes in Iowa last year, but Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Nathan Ludwig says it's not necessarily because people are being more careful when they get behind the wheel. "So, just the State Patrol...we covered almost 500 more crashes (in 2018) compared to a year … [Read more...]
State Patrol asking for money to upgrade its airplanes
The Iowa State Patrol is looking to replace some of its aging aircraft. Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Roxann Ryan, says they are asking for $3.5 million outside their general budget for the planes. "We currently have seven airplanes, we are the only law enforcement agency with … [Read more...]
Public Safety Commissioner and head of State Patrol to retire
Iowa's top public safety official and the chief of the Iowa State Patrol will both be retiring next month. Roxann Ryan and Jeff Ritzman will be stepping down on January 2, both ending careers of 36 years in public service. Ryan has served as Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety the … [Read more...]
Victim in fatal Highway 163 accident was from Prairie City
A Prairie City man was killed this morning in a crash on Highway 163 in Jasper County. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Nate Ludwig says 50-year-old Rex Chickering was driving a van that slammed into the back of a slow-moving pickup pulling farm machinery. Chickering died at the scene. The driver of … [Read more...]
Driver dies in Jasper County accident, state trooper’s car hit while helping
The driver of a car was killed after a crashing into a piece of farm machinery this morning in Jasper County. The crash happened around 8 a.m. on Highway 163 near Monroe. The Iowa State Patrol reports a car caught fire after running into the back of a piece of farm equipment being pulled by a … [Read more...]
State Patrol releases numbers for first year of change to texting and driving law
The first year of a measure designed to crackdown on distracted driving in Iowa resulted in State Patrol Troopers issuing more than 1,100 citations to motorists. A law that made texting while driving a "primary" offense took effect on July 1, 2017. "Since that time, Troopers in Iowa have written … [Read more...]
Extra officers out looking for distracted drivers this holiday
A special traffic enforcement effort is underway this Memorial Day weekend called the Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort, or CARE. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Vince Kurtz says extra officers will be out on the roadways with the main focus on speed and distracted driving. The DOT reports that 106 … [Read more...]
Fallen law officers remembered in annual memorial ceremony
Hundreds of law officers gathered in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol today for the annual ceremony honoring fallen officers. Rain forced the ceremony that's normally held outside at the Peace Officer Memorial site up the hill to the capitol building. Iowa Department of Public Safety … [Read more...]
Many people still text and drive in Iowa despite law change
April has been distracted driving awareness month and a state trooper says it continues to be a problem across the country and in Iowa. Sergeant Nathan Ludwig with the Iowa State Patrol says they see motorists texting driving every day on Iowa's roadways despite a change in law that makes it … [Read more...]