“Save lives first…money after”, as stated by Secretary of State Ola (Mrs. Alex) Miller, in 1933, when sending out her first Iowa Highway Patrolmen. Those words were said over 70 years ago when our nation was in the throws of the great depression. This one woman decided that life was worth the costs, knowing that public safety is one of the top priorities of the government.

Have you ever wondered why you can drive from Sioux City to Davenport without seeing a single Trooper? Currently, the Iowa State Patrol has over 60 trooper vacancies with only 393 trooper positions remaining, which includes approximately 87 supervisory personnel. At that staffing level, Iowa has 4 counties with no troopers in residence and 10 counties with only 1 trooper in residence. This authorized strength is the lowest it has been since the 1960’s, prior to the interstate highway system being built in Iowa. Most Iowa counties are rural areas where the troopers are depended upon by other law enforcement agencies to provide assistance and officer backup. Normal law enforcement for these rural areas is at times comprised of one deputy sheriff on patrol, as well as several one or two officer departments within the towns in the county. The trooper is relied upon for their expertise in the law enforcement field. The deputy and city officers depend upon each other, as well as the trooper for officer backup in many situations. Many motorists know that their chances of encountering an on-duty trooper has been greatly compromised, therefore, deterrence is diminished. This then leads to increased traffic infractions such as excessive speed, stop signs, bad passes, OWI, driving while suspended, etc., that leads to more serious or severe motor vehicle crashes that ultimately result in injuries or deaths. Currently, the state of Iowa has seen a 17% increase in traffic fatalities, with more than 50 fatalities above the recorded fatalities for this time last year. This is the highest traffic fatality rate in five years, and with the continued decline in troopers enforcing Iowa’s traffic laws, this unwelcome trend of increased traffic fatalities may continue to rise. The response time for a trooper responding to an incident or emergency has increased as well. It is not uncommon for a trooper today to be assigned to provide coverage for two or three counties during a normal shift. Instead of a trooper responding from within the county, the trooper may be responding from two or more counties away. Today there is much attention being placed on Homeland Security. I am reminded that it was a state trooper, on a “routine” traffic stop, that apprehended Timothy McVeigh, after the Oklahoma City bombing. It was Iowa Troopers that responded to concrete being thrown from overpasses on Interstate 35 in north central Iowa just this year. With a similar incident in the Council Bluffs area of a brick being thrown through a car windshield, killing Michelle Fergus on July 1st.

The Iowa State Patrol began 24 hour coverage on the interstate highway system in 1968, covering days, nights and midnight shifts. Coverage was maintained at this level until late in calendar year 2001 when coverage was reduced due to reduced personnel levels. Metro areas still provide 24 hour coverage, while the remaining areas handle the overnight hours by call out of troopers when needed. With reduced coverage, motorists who become stranded due to inclement weather or with a car in need of repairs, may wait an extended period of time for assistance. There may be instances where a problem, incident or accident could go unreported or undetected through the night. Such was the case in 2001 when Lindsay Thomas accidentally ran off the road, crashing into a dredge ditch and spending several days pinned in her car before anyone found her. In rural Iowa, officers depend upon each other for assistance and backup, regardless of the department or the uniform worn. In many instances, a deputy sheriff may be the only available backup for a trooper or the trooper the only backup for the deputy. Adequate backup is not available when the trooper is not out in the early morning hours or may be required to work several counties at a time. Iowa troopers have intercepted messages from drug couriers providing directions to the couriers to only cross Iowa’s interstates during midnight hours, when a very limited number of troopers may be on duty. Iowa has twice as many registered vehicles as it did prior to 1970, double the vehicle miles driven and almost twice as many licensed drivers, yet Iowa has fewer troopers than it did in that same year.

By the end of 2003, the Iowa State Patrol will have over 200 patrol cars in excess of 100,000 miles. With the increased high mileage vehicles, the patrol has realized a 21% increase in maintenance costs. The resale value has plummeted 52% with the high mileage vehicles, when sold at auction. The Iowa State Patrol is extremely dependant upon sound vehicles in carrying out its mission. Troopers routinely operate their patrol cars at high speeds in enforcing traffic laws, responding to emergencies, accidents, incidents and other events. Driving high mileage vehicles adds to personal risk not only for the trooper operating the vehicle, but others sharing the roadways. Iowa State Troopers depend upon reliable vehicles and emergency equipment, to properly respond to accidents and other law enforcement situations in a timely manner.