(Radio Iowa) — A southwest Iowa woman who was shot and killed more than three years ago while on duty as an Omaha police officer is being remembered in an unusual way. The Omaha Police Department is adding a new horse to its mounted patrol unit named Orozco to honor Officer Kerrie Orozco. Police Chief Todd Schmaderer says that “tragic” incident won’t be forgotten.

“Three years and our memories are still strong and our respect is still strong,” the chief says. “The memory of Officer Orozco will always resonate in our community.” Orozco was fatally shot while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a suspect in May of 2015. The suspect was also killed. Orozco was 29 years old and lived in Council Bluffs. She was a native of Walnut, Iowa. Schmaderer says the horse was donated to the department by Orozco’s husband, Hector.

“He’s carried himself amazingly well in the aftermath of the most tragic of incidents,” Schmaderer says. “He’s still a part of our family and always will be, as will their daughter.” That daughter, Olivia, was born premature a few months before the shooting — and she was due to come home from the hospital the day after her mother was killed. Hector Orozco said he could no longer care for the horse as taking care of Olivia is his top priority. Sergeant Joe Svacina says the nine-year-old horse has undergone a year of extensive training and entered service last week.

“We had to bring that horse up, he’d been really sheltered as a hobby horse, and we had to bring him into the middle of the city,” Svacina says. “Some horses just can’t do that and we put a lot of time into making him a good police horse.” Officer Orozco was the first female police officer to die in the line of duty in Omaha history.

(Karla James contributed to this report.)

(Radio Iowa) — Two key Republicans in the Iowa Legislature say they’re willing to consider a hike in the state sales tax, if it’s coupled with cuts in other state taxes. Iowa voters in 2010 approved creation of a state fund to pay for water improvement and outdoor recreation projects — but the legislature has never passed the 3/8ths cent increase in the state sales tax to fill the Iowa Water and Land Legacy Fund. Senate President Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, says he’s willing to “keep an open mind” as he discusses the idea with his G-O-P colleagues.

“I’m open to it,” Schneider says. “That’s all I’ll say on it at this point…We’ll see what everyone else has to say and we’ll see what happens to it during the upcoming session.” Republicans in the Senate AND the House will meet privately later this month to map out their policy agenda for the 2019 legislative session. House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow says raising the sales tax for Iowa Water and Land Legacy initiatives will be discussed. “Yeah, I’m open to it,” Hagenow says.

Schneider says raising the sales tax would be part of a broader discussion of tax policy. “We have high income tax rates, both personal and corporate, so we need to be focusing on driving those down to encourage business development in the state, to encourage people to move here, to encourage people to stay here when they retire,” Schneider says. “That will help, I think, the entire state grow and develop, including providing more funding for water quality and some other quality of life improvements.”

Schneider was not ready to discuss with reporters what other “quality of life” initiatives might be financed with a sales tax increase. Hagenow told reporters Republicans will be “much more likely” to raise the sales tax if it’s coupled with a tax cut of some sort. “One of the things that we’re always going to keep in mind is what is Iowans’ tax burden overall,” Hagenow says. “And we’re going to be cognizant of that, whatever we do, because we want at the end of the day Iowans to have a lower tax burden and not a higher one.”

Hagenow and Schneider made their comments after a legislative forum sponsored by the Des Moines Partnership, a coalition of 24 central Iowa chambers of commerce. The group supports a regional “water trails” project that could be financed with sales tax revenue in the Iowa Water and Land Legacy Fund, if legislators approve the SALES tax increase. Iowa purchases are generally assessed a seven percent sales tax rate, with one percent being used exclusively on school infrastructure AND many cities and counties collecting a one percent local option sales tax.

(Radio Iowa) — Des Moines Police have filed charges against a Drake University student accused of leaving a racist note under a dorm room door. Police have charged 18-year-old Kissie Ram with making a false report to a public safety entity for the note that was found November 28th. Police were already investigating two other racist notes at Drake reported by Ram and another female student when they determined that Ram wrote the third note herself. She was given a misdemeanor summons and released. The spokesman for the Des Moines Police Department says no charges will be filed in connection with the first two notes.

No injuries were reported as a result of a two vehicle accident in Red Oak on Monday. At 12:11pm Officers were called to the accident on Coolbaugh Street in downtown Red Oak. A 2013 Chevy Suburban operated by a 16-year-old juvenile from Corning was legally parked on the south side of Coolbaugh Street in downtown Red Oak. A 2017 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup owned and operated by 66-year-old Ricky Dean Taylor of Red Oak was legally parked on the north side of Coolbaugh Street. Both vehicles began backing out of their parking stalls at the same time and did not see one another. The vehicles struck in the rear.

The Chevy sustained an estimated $1,000 damage and the Dodge an estimated $500 damage. No injuries were reported as a result of the accident and no citations were issued.