The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) has formed what’s called a “Child Abduction Response Team” or CART. Iowa D-C-I special agent in charge, Michael Motsinger, says the team was created in response to the kidnapping and murders of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey in Evansdale and the abduction and murder of Kathlynn Shepard in Dayton. Motsinger says there will be six regional CART offices that will help boost the manpower law enforcement has when an abduction is reported.

“The biggest thing is just getting there and assess to see what is going on. We really stress the quick reaction, sitting down with the family, and what I mean with assessing are, could they be with a friend, could they be at the local neighbor’s house and just walked in,” Motsinger explains. “Just doing those quick things so we can establish right away, do we have a true child abduction, or is the child missing. D-P-S unveiled a CART trailer today (Monday) that Motsinger says will have computers and other equipment and serve as a mobile command post if they determine a child has been abducted.

“We’ll have tracking software, we’ll have mapping software, we’ll have a big plotter so we can print off a big map of the area so we can get a better idea of where we need to go,” Motsinger says. Nineteen other states have created CART teams, and Motsinger says they talked with them and reviewed how those teams work to set up the Iowa team.

“And even going back and talking about how we responded at Evansdale and Dayton, and what can we do to get better. And so we’re kinda trying to combine all of that,” Motsinger says. “It’s a process that will always evolve, we’re always learning and we’ll always go back to our local partners to see what we can do to get better.” Motsinger showed off the new CART trailer outside a Des Moines hotel as 120 law officers from across the state were inside training to work with the CART team.

“We won’t actually work out of this trailer, it’ll basically be bringing this command center and everything we have inside the trailer and then we can go to a conference center and set everything up,” according to Motsinger. He says it’s important to have a separate command center to keep local officials from being overwhelmed during the abduction investigation.

“Just because there’s a child abduction doesn’t mean they don’t respond to an more calls. So, they’re still going to be doing their normal job duties on top of a abduction,” Motsinger say. “We hope by having this command center we relieve a lot of the pressures off the smaller departments that don’t have as many dispatchers to do everything that we done for a child abduction because they still need to do their own job.” Motsinger says having CART officials in six regions across the state allows them to respond quickly and figure out what has happened when it’s important to act quickly.

“Very critical the first two or three hours to get there and respond and assess to see what is going on so the chances of recovering that child obviously increase,” Motsinger says. CART deployment can be used for all missing children cases and is not dependent on an Amber Alert being issued. D-P-S purchased the CART trailer with a 25-thousand dollar grant of forfeiture funds. Motsinger says they hope to have the Iowa CART team earn national certification.

(Radio Iowa)

It took software developers more than a year to design it, but there’s now a new website (rules.iowa.gov) that lets Iowans read and comment on state regulations. Justin Carlson is one of the technicians who worked on the project. He says the website is compatible with all forms of technology. “We want to make sure that if you’re in a meeting somewhere and you wanted to view this rule, you’re able to do so on your phone or your tablet and you’re able to comment,” Carlson says.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says before this website went live this morning (Monday), it was very difficult for Iowans to figure out what state rules and regulations were being proposed and register their support or objections. “For example, Iowans had to navigate through four websites just to view a proposed rule and once they found the rule, Iowans didn’t have the opportunity at that point to post a comment online,” Reynolds says.

State agencies used to provide Iowans with a FAX number or a mailing address when taking public comments on proposed administrative rules. Now, Iowans read both current and proposed regulations and post a comment on the website. Governor Branstad used the beginning of his weekly news conference to unveil the website to the media.  “It’s pretty phenomenal,” Branstad said. “…We’re very excited about this. I think it’s going to be a great service ot the people of Iowa.”

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad predicts the divided Iowa Legislature will negotiate the overall state budget until early June. Branstad told reporters Monday he expects lawmakers won’t adjourn until at least the first week of June. Lawmakers’ daily expense payments ended on May 1st.

The Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-led House are at odds over how much to spend during the fiscal year that begins July 1. Senate Democrats and Branstad have proposed an overall general fund budget of about $7.34 billion. House Republicans are seeking to spend $7.17 billion, arguing the state shouldn’t spend more than is expected in projected revenue.

Among key differences is spending on K-12 education. Branstad says his office is working with legislative leaders to reach a consensus, but he didn’t provide specific details.

City officials in Atlantic are advising residents work on the 2015 Street Improvement Projects are getting underway. Crews with Precision Concrete Services are in the process of doing work on 5th Street, and will be working south from there.

Work on 8th Street will consist of minor patching, and on sidewalks, so that should not disrupt the work taking place next week on Highway 6/7th Street, or the traffic that chooses to bypass on 8th Street. Officials say asphalt work is still a couple months away, so Highway 6/7th Street may be done by then.

A Glenwood man was arrested Saturday, following an investigation into a hit-and-run accident. Authorities say 32-year old Clifford Stoppel was taken into custody on charges of Public Intoxication, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Striking fixtures upon a highway. He was also cited for having no insurance. Bond was set at $900.

The Glenwood P-D says officers were dispatched to the intersection of Sharp and Vine Streets at around 2:10-a.m., Saturday, after receiving word a vehicle had hit a traffic control sign pole. Witnesses said the pole was hit by a red Pontiac that continued east on Sharp Street. The suspect vehicle, a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, was located at an apartment complex in the 200 block of Sivers Road, in Glenwood. The car had sustained damage to the windshield and hood, and had two flat tires.

Inside the car were multiple open containers of beer. Stoppel, the registered owner, was seen walking along the sidewalk with an open container of liquor. He told police he was driving from his house at 1012 1st Street to a friends apartment, where he had 5-to 6 shots of liquor. He denied drinking prior to driving, but was taken into custody.

Damage from the incident amounted to $8,000.

In unrelated news, Police in Glenwood said the Glenwood Senior Center reported Friday an incident of burglary and criminal mischief. That same day, the Glenwood Public Library had similar incidents take place.