Branstad's 'ambitious schedule' forces Iowa troopers to speed, official says

DES MOINES - Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said she and the governor keep “an ambitious schedule” that sometimes forces the state troopers who drive them to break the speed limit, although the passengers are rarely aware of it.

“Honestly, when we get in the vehicle, our schedules are so back-to-back-to-back it is an opportunity for me to get on my phone or on my iPad,” she said. "I'm either making calls, I'm reviewing emails, I'm responding, I'm reading information. A lot of times we personally sign the thousands, the hundreds of thousands of certificates that we give individuals every year.

“I'm telling you the truth. Back in the car, we're working, and I'm not really watching the speedometer.”

But Reynolds deflected questions about the appropriateness of the speeding incident from April, which became public last week. She repeatedly said the incident was under review when asked to expand on her answers by reporters.

“Again, it's under review,” Reynolds said when a reporter noted that being late for an appointment typically won't get a motorist out of a speeding ticket. “It's our intent not to (speed). I think it's a rarity, so we're going to make every attempt to follow the law. That is our intent.”

Reynolds was traveling in a state-owned SUV with Gov. Terry Branstad on April 26 along U.S. 20 between Cedar Falls and Fort Dodge when the incident occurred.

Larry Hedlund, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent, spotted the governor's SUV and estimated it was going “a hard 90” on the stretch. He reported the incident to a state trooper, who later clocked the vehicle going 84 mph.

But the vehicle was not stopped and, on April 29, Hedlund complained to supervisors. Shortly thereafter, he was placed on administrative leave for reasons that officials say were not related to his complaint.

“We're going to continue to review it," Reynolds said. "We're going to continue to look at the schedule and make every effort that we can to make sure we are allowing enough time that we can, between events, and it's being reviewed by the Department of Public Safety and we'll wait to see.”

Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Robert Hansen wrote in an email response to questions on the investigation that being behind schedule is not a legitimate excuse to speed for the governor or any other state elected or appointed official.

He said the department's investigation centers on the actions of the two on-duty state troopers who were on duty during the almost traffic stop. He added it was “unknown at this time” when the investigation would be complete.

State Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, who is exploring a run for governor, issued a statement Monday afternoon calling into question Reynolds's statements.

“The Governor and Lt. Governor took an oath to uphold the law. I took an oath to uphold the law. Law enforcement officers have taken an oath to uphold the law - not ‘try to' uphold the law or 'intend' to uphold it, but to, without question, uphold the law,” Hatch said. “We don't need to waste taxpayer dollars on internal investigations and 'reviews' we don't need. That's what politicians do. The Governor should simply follow the law, admit guilt, pay the ticket and move on.”