Open Letter to Gov. Branstad, re: State Patrol

Dear Governor Branstad:

Congratulations on a successful election.  You again proved yourself to be both a tireless campaigner and fundraiser.  Now, it is time to get to work.

While running and during the transition between administrations, you invited Iowans to submit ideas about how to make government better.  I have a couple of ideas.  You have expressed significant concern about the state of the Iowa State Patrol.  Let me start there.

Following a gunman’s rampage at Virginia Tech University that left 32 people dead in 2007, your predecessor, lawmakers and members of the Board of Regents considered law enforcement.  The tragic event had forced universities, law enforcement agencies, local government and the public to study what went wrong and how best to manage community response in a time of crisis.  The findings: A lack of planning and coordination existed between law enforcement and public entities resulting in a loss of time and effectiveness during an emergency.  First responders need to work together.

Unfortunately, little was done in Iowa.  The Board of Regents focused on only part of the problem and spent much time debating whether campus security at Iowa’s three universities should carry guns.  While it was true that without weapons campus police generally had to wait for other law enforcement entities to respond before intervening in certain situations, the Regents and the State of Iowa failed to tackle the larger problems: the duplication of effort by multiple agencies, improving safety and saving dollars.  Not to mention, whether it is wise to have college presidents manage the coordination of law enforcement efforts.  It is, after all, conceivable university officials might interfere with a rape investigation now and again.

I wrote to the Regents, Governor Culver and legislators in September 2007 urging them to consider strengthening Iowa’s police protection.  I wrote then, “Under a single police agency, safety for our university communities would improve because communication, training and coordination would improve.  Problems and successes on one campus would be shared immediately throughout the system.  There would be additional significant safety and financial efficiencies to be gained by combining university security and state police activities.  When university populations decline during the summer and winter holidays, the State Patrol could reallocate its resources to ensure Iowa’s safety and security is preserved.  When a single university hosts a large event or faces a significant threat, resources could be shifted accordingly.  In short, Iowa would be better served by one force instead of a State Patrol and three university public safety units.”

It is 2011 and the State of Iowa budget is not in good shape.  If improving public safety wasn’t enough to convince Iowa’s leaders to act then, I am hoping a desire to maximize dwindling resources will today.

Combining the three university police forces and putting them under the command of the State Patrol would increase the number of officers protecting Iowa’s highways and public universities, and would improve critical response times.  As important, it does not make financial sense to continue to equip, maintain and administer separate bureaucracies at the State Patrol, University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.  Putting them under a single umbrella, the Iowa State Patrol, would create a stronger, more efficient and better equipped force on the road and on Iowa’s campuses.  Oh, and it would get college administrators out of law enforcement allowing them to focus on education.

Thanks for listening and asking Iowans to share our ideas.  I agree we can make Iowa stronger by working together.  Here’s hoping you and the lawmakers meeting the floor above you are serious about wanting our help.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.