This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

April 7, 2021Iowa City, Iowa |  By: AP

Report finds 'significant increase' in force by Iowa police


IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - An internal report has found that state police officers in Iowa drew their weapons and used force against suspects significantly more often in 2020 than prior years, due to a major increase in resistance.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety's annual report on force incidents found that suspects fled in vehicles and on foot from officers far more often in 2020.

It found that officers responded by drawing their handguns, shotguns and rifles 269 times in 2020, an 83% percent increase from the prior year. Officers also took or ordered suspects to the ground in dozens of more cases compared to 2019.