public safety

Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Iowa City in the wake of George Floyd's murder. In the year since, the city has taken some concrete steps to address racial injustice, but it hasn't come without conflict.

Advocates and loved ones are speaking out about a new Iowa Department of Corrections policy that bans family, friends and third parties from sending to books to state prisons. Advocates say the step undermines inmates' basic rights and dignity and their efforts at rehabilitation.

Iowa Democratic lawmakers who toured the Anamosa State Penitentiary Friday say conditions at the prison must improve, after the killings of two staffers by two inmates last month, describing the facility as unsafe, overcrowded and understaffed.

Iowa Democrats are asking the Biden administration to conduct an investigation into the killings of two Iowa Department of Corrections staffers, who were allegedly bludgeoned to death by two inmates. The attack has underscored understaffing, overcrowding and safety concerns at the facilities.

On this special edition of River to River, the story of how Guillermo Romano Ibarra has overcome the odds after a bicycle crash nearly killed him.

The leader of the labor union representing Iowa corrections officers says a proposed budget increase for next year is not enough to provide safe working conditions in Iowa prisons.

A University of Iowa committee is now taking public comment on proposals to reimagine campus safety and policing. Some of the potential models include significantly reducing the police presence on campus and redirecting calls for service to other responders like health care providers.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials are working together to brace for potential threats at the state Capitol and elsewhere ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. Officials across multiple agencies say they're not currently aware of concrete, Iowa-specific threats, but that operational plans are in place if needed.

The Sioux City Council approved changes to the city fireworks code, making property owners liable if fireworks are discharged illegally from their land.

The Sioux City Council is paving the way for a possible ban on fireworks while acknowledging that enforcement would be difficult.