Branstad says he won't 'micromanage' Iowa troopers after speeding incident

DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad took a hands-off approach Wednesday to a controversy over a situation in April where a vehicle driven by a state trooper in which he was riding was clocked traveling at excessive speeds, saying he has confidence in law officers' ability to protect him and the public.

“I don't second guess and I'm not a back-seat driver,” the governor told reporters, saying he has confidence in state troopers' driving skills and their commitment to protect him, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the motoring public while his office maintains a “demanding” schedule visiting all 99 counties every year.

Branstad said he was not interested in “micro managing” Iowa state troopers after the speeding incident.

However, documents provided Wednesday by the attorney for Larry Hedlund, the state DCI special agent in charge who initiated the April 26 pursuit of the speeding SUV driven by state trooper Steve Lawrence with Branstad and Reynolds as back-seat passengers, raised concerns the incident is part of “what apparently is a common practice that puts the general public in danger.”

“It is blatantly obvious to me that the governor was in the vehicle, was aware the vehicle was speeding and was, by proxy, the cause of the vehicle to be speeding,” Hedlund wrote April 29 in what he called “a complaint against myself” that he sent to Brian London, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety. “The trooper driving the vehicle is at the mercy of the schedule of the governor and is told when the governor is behind the schedule. One of those ‘read between the lines' communications with potentially very bad ramifications,” he added.

Records made public Tuesday documented a high-speed situation in which a state DCI agent called in patrol troopers to assist in stopping a vehicle driving a “hard 90” mph, but state trooper Matt Eimers backed off when it was determined the black Chevrolet Tahoe was being operated by a trooper transporting Branstad and Reynolds along U.S. Highway 20 between Cedar Falls and Fort Dodge.

“I don't believe the governor of the state of Iowa is above the laws of the state of Iowa,” Hedlund wrote in his follow-up complaint. “Regardless of what dignitaries might be in the back seat of the speeding vehicle, it is still against the law.”

Hedlund was placed on paid administrative leave five days after the incident. Branstad's office said Hedlund's administrative leave “is not related to his complaint about the speeding incident” but the DCI agent's attorney, Thomas Duff of Des Moines, contends it was retaliation for the April 26 incident.

Talking with reporters Wednesday, Branstad rejected assertions that the incident in which the vehicle driver was not ticketed points up a double standard that puts his trooper security detail above the law or that the speeding vehicle put other motorists at risk.

“I believe that everybody ought to be treated equally and fairly under the law,” the governor said. “I really have confidence that the Department of Public Safety is doing this in a very professional way and I have confidence that they will do an independent review and determine the appropriate action.”

Branstad said he and Reynolds were in the back seat of the vehicle and did not realize it was traveling at high rates of speed due to the distractions of their governmental responsibilities.

“We didn't even know about this at the time,” Branstad told reporters. “Oftentimes I'm working on signing papers, answering phone calls and doing other things, and I have confidence in the drivers and they're making the appropriate decisions under the circumstances.”

The governor said he has never told a driver to go faster because he was running late for a meeting.

“They are good drivers. They know what they're doing. I'm not going to be a back-seat driver,” he said.

Branstad, in his role of Iowa's commander in chief, said he did not plan to make any policy changes in the wake of the incident, leaving it to the Department of Public Safety to review the situation and decide if any changes should be recommended.

“Listen, I've never been one to micro manage. I believe you put competent, quality people in key positions and trust them to make good judgment. When there's a question it should be reviewed to determine for the future what makes the most sense,” he said.

Asked if trooper Steve Lawrence should have been ticketed for traveling at 84 mph based upon a laser reading, Branstad said “These are judgment calls that are made by the Public Safety Department. They're in the process of reviewing this situation.”

Branstad said he does not consider himself above the law, telling reporters: “No. I have always been one that is a very humble person that believes that we -- in fact I always try to go beyond and above my responsibilities. But I cannot talk about things that are confidential.”

The official explanation regarding the speeding incident coming from the governor's office did not sit well with Dennis Condron of Marion.

“Really? Is it OK to have a non-emergency, state-owned SUV come up on you doing 90 mph or 25 mph over the posted speed limit?” Condron said in an email. “Iowa's traffic laws are there to be obeyed by all citizens of our state. I believe the state needs to install a ‘governor' on the governor's vehicle if the state driver refuses to obey the laws that apply to him as well as all of us. No exceptions.”

In his complaint Hedlund raised concern that the three vehicles involved – his vehicle, the SUV driven by Lawrence and Eimers' squad car – at one point converged with a school bus on Interstate 35.

“In addition to the well-known dangers of traveling at a high rate of speed, this incident further demonstrates how a situation like this can quickly put others at risk,” Hedlund wrote. “In this case, a school bus full of children. The consequences of three vehicles traveling at high speeds could have been tragic.”

Two Democrats who have expressed interest in seeking Branstad's job in 2014 decried the speeding incident.

Fairfield Democrat Bob Krause called the incident “a shocking abuse of power” that points up the fact that Branstad “knows too well where he can cross the line on abuse of power” having served five terms of governor that date back to January 1983.Another potential 2014 gubernatorial opponent, Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, issued a statement Wednesday demanding that Branstad take responsibility for the fact that his vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed.

“No one is above the law,” Hatch said. “We don't need an expensive investigation to tell us what we already know. This is just not the way we do things in Iowa. The right way to handle this is to admit when you're wrong, accept responsibility, get the ticket paid and move on. That's the Iowa way.”

Hedlund email (PDF)

Hedlund email (Text)