Gotta Be Kidding

Iowa Fires Agent for Speeding Report

Says incriminating other officers was “negative.”

What happens when you enforce the law? You get fired—that is, if you work for the state of Iowa and you enforce the law on other law enforcement officials. Larry Hedlund, a criminal investigation agent in Iowa, was fired after he ordered a Chevy Tahoe stopped for speeding at 84 miles per hour—a Tahoe that, unbeknownst to him, belonged to Gov. Terry Branstad, and was being driven by a state trooper. Hedlund later filed a complaint that state officials were being allowed to drive recklessly with impunity, and found himself suspended the next day. He was fired for “negative and disrespectful messages” about his superiors and told his employment had been “counterproductive to the best interests of the department.”