Branstad's trooper has no business going 90

By Des Moines Register

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It is bad enough the Iowa State Patrol didn't pull over a speeding SUV because it was driven by a fellow trooper transporting Gov. Terry Branstad.

It is troublinging the state worker who reported the speeding vehicle was removed from duty a few days later. The public deserves a full explanation about the incidents.

Without a complete explanation, Iowans will assume the governor gets to disregard laws that everyone else has to obey and that those who cross him are dealt with harshly.

On the afternoon of April 26, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent Larry Hedlund telephoned a State Patrol dispatcher to report a black SUV traveling “a hard 90” on U.S. Highway 20. A trooper eventually clocked the SUV at 84 mph. An in-car video shows the responding trooper got close to the SUV and then backed off. A communications log indicates the trooper advised that “this turned out to be Car 1” - law enforcement code for the governor's car.

Hedlund complained to his superiors about the incident. A few days later, the 25-year veteran of the DCI was suspended from his job.

When asked about any state policy regarding troopers violating speed limits, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety said the agency was “reviewing the situation as part of a confidential personnel investigation.” Hopefully the agency isn't trying to position itself to keep secret whatever that investigation uncovers by placing it in a “personnel” record. This isn't just about the actions of a single trooper. Who was involved in removing Hedlund from his job and why?

A comprehensive review and findings should all be public.

For the record, troopers are not free to speed whenever they want. In 1979, the Iowa Attorney General's Office issued a formal opinion stating that everyone, including law enforcement, must abide by the speed limit. The only exception is when officers are responding to an emergency, pursuing a suspected felon or responding to an incident dangerous to the public “if and only if the officer is using either an audible or visual signaling device.”

The officer transporting Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn't pursuing a felon. He apparently wasn't responding to an emergency. He wasn't using red lights or a siren.

Though most passengers would notice if the car they were riding in was passing every other car on the highway and a State Patrol trooper was right on their tail, Branstad and Reynolds were not aware of the incident, spokesman Tim Albrecht said. “We have great faith and trust in Iowa's law enforcement officials to ensure the safety of the governor and all Iowans,” he said.

Iowans want to have faith these officials are following the law themselves. They want to know the governor would not tolerate anything less.

If Hedlund hadn't complained and ultimately hired a lawyer, Iowans likely never would have known about any of this. Now they're wondering if troopers regularly exceed the speed limit by 20 mph with no consequences while Joe Civilian risks losing his license for doing the same thing.

The public needs assurances that is not how things work in Iowa. But the public also needs a detailed explanation of what led the governor's SUV to be traveling nearly 20 mph above the speed limit.

Keeping the governor on schedule is hardly an acceptable explanation.