Ceremony honors three fallen Iowa peace officers

Uniformed peace officers from around Iowa joined Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, public safety leaders and family members in adding three names to a state memorial that was recently moved and rededicated at a new location near the Statehouse Friday.

The list of peace officers killed in the line of duty over the last 140 years who are honored at the state's peace officer memorial was expanded to 169 Friday with the addition of Stuart Police Chief Robert Smith, Motor, Iowa Vehicle Enforcement Officer Philip Adams and Floyd County Deputy Levi Bowers.

“This is a very fitting location and it is a very important and significant ceremony,” Branstad told the gathering at the new memorial site on a grassy hill between the state Capitol Building and the Oran Pape State Office Building that houses state public safety functions.

“This memorial truly captures the spirit of public service and sacrifice,” the governor told the crowd assembled around the stone monument first dedicated in 1985. “Today's ceremony is really a wonderful opportunity for us to say thank you for the positive impact that our peace officers make day in and day out in the lives of all of our people and to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the safety of Iowa citizens.”

Family members were presented a purple heart and a plaque honoring each fallen peace officer near a pole with the U.S. flag and a new Iowa peace officer memorial flag flying at half staff to mark the occasion. Bagpipers played while officers on horseback or standing in formations stood watch and seven Iowa State troopers delivered a 21-gun salute that pierced the gray mid-morning sky.

The state Department of Public Safety provided brief “end-of-watch” descriptions of the three fallen officers who were honored Friday:

• Floyd County Deputy Levi Bowers: Bowers responded to a report of gunfire in the city of Rockford on Feb. 24, 1916. The suspect reportedly had fled to a residence after attempting to kill a local physician. When Bowers located the suspect, a confrontation ensued in which Bowers was able to discharge his weapon -- striking the suspect. Bowers also was hit by gun shots and later died of his wounds. At the time of his death, Bowers left behind a wife and two young children.
• Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer Philip J. Adams: Adams was conducting traffic enforcement on March 31, 1973. He was struck by a car while attempting to flag down the driver of a semi-tractor trailer and died as a result of his injuries.  Adams served for 15 years as a state police officer for the Iowa Department of Transportation's Division of Motor Vehicle Enforcement. He left behind a wife and four children at the time of his death.
• Stuart Police Chief Robert Smith: Smith was called to a disturbance at an establishment in Stuart on Sept. 20, 2009. Smith attempted to make an arrest on a subject who physically resisted orders. In attempting to escape, the suspect pushed Smith to the ground, causing the police chief to strike his neck and knee on the pavement. The injuries to his neck required surgical intervention, which led to complications that left Smith paralyzed. He died from complications of the paralysis on Aug. 13, 2010. Smith became Stuart's police chief in 2006, after serving as a sergeant and assistant chief in the Ackley Police Department from 1994 to 2006. Smith, who also served 23 years in the Army and Army Reserves, is survived by his wife, six children and one step-child.