Branstad names Roxann Ryan as public safety commissioner

DES MOINES - Newly installed Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Roxann Ryan upgraded the definition of her dream job Wednesday.

Ryan, 59, was elevated from acting DPS leader to permanent commissioner by Gov. Terry Branstad, who initially picked her Jan. 9 to replace Larry Noble - a former state trooper and state senator who retired after serving two separate stints as the state law enforcement agency's director.

'I just think it's the best job that there is,” Ryan told reporters at a 'meet-and-greet” news conference at the Oran Pape State Office Building. 'I said that when I was the attorney for the department that it was my dream job, but this is better.”

As DPS commissioner, she will oversee 634 uniformed law officers and 311 non-sworn personnel in an agency that oversees state criminal and narcotics investigations, the state crime lab, Capitol complex security, law enforcement training, the Iowa State Patrol and the state fire marshal's office. Her appointment is subject to Iowa Senate confirmation.

'This is a group of people who are very dedicated and very talented,” said Ryan, who grew up on a Winneshiek County farm near Cresco. 'My goal is simply to allow good people to do good work. We have a long tradition of excellence within the department and my goal is to maintain that reputation and allow people to do the things that need to be done and to facilitate that as much as we can.”

Ryan joined the department in 2006, serving as a criminal intelligence analyst, in-house agency counsel and administrative rules coordinator. Additionally, she taught criminal justice for two years at Simpson College and worked in the Iowa Attorney General's Office for about 24 years, having earned an undergraduate degree at Iowa State University, a law degree at the University of Iowa and a doctorate at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

'Many of the provisions in the Iowa code are familiar to me because I drafted the original version of those, so I think our law is pretty good for the most part,” said Ryan, who did not envision major changes within the department's operations now that the governor has tabbed her as commissioner.

'I think the department runs very well and always has,” said Ryan, who expected to better coordinate with other governmental levels to make effective and efficient use of limited resources. 'My leadership style is largely based on what I've learned as an instructor. If you set out clearly what your expectations are and you have good people who are motivated, telling them what's expected is a good way to get good results.”

Perhaps the biggest challenges facing law enforcement looking to the future are in areas related to the rapid changes in technology and balancing privacy rights with investigative techniques.

'The challenges that we have in Iowa I think are less and certainly different from the challenges that we see in a lot of other states,” she said. 'We've always had one of the lowest crime rates in the country. Obviously we want to be able to maintain that low crime rate.”

Some of the high-profile events surrounding Iowa's public safety agency in recent months have dealt with state troopers driving at excessive speeds either on duty or off duty. Ryan said her response to all that is 'if I'm caught speeding, I should get a citation. I don't think the law applies any differently to people in law enforcement than it does to anybody else.”

Ryan said she is pleased there are more state troopers on staff now than where there were 'dangerously low levels” on the road two years ago.

'I feel better about being able to provide the level of staffing that we need for the state patrol,” she said. 'Obviously, if we had more people, I think we could do good things with more people but at this point we are able keep people in Iowa safe and that's the bottom line.”

In appointing Ryan, Branstad said in a statement: 'I am impressed with the leadership and depth of knowledge Roxann possess, both in her capacity as acting commissioner and throughout her career in public service. Roxann's knowledge of the department, coupled with her commitment to protecting the health, safety and well-being of Iowans, makes her an ideal choice for the position.”