$1M+ in police settlements prompts Des Moines disclosure change
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Maj. Lillie Parker retired this year from the Des Moines Police Department. Officer Joshua Bowen remains on the force. Photos: Courtesy of the city of Des Moines
Des Moines is ending its practice of approving settlements without publicly posting meaningful details beforehand, 12 days after Axios questioned why the cost of a nearly $120,000 police crash settlement wasn't disclosed before a council vote.
Why it matters: Residents will get a clearer view of taxpayer-funded settlements and a chance to weigh in before the City Council votes.
Driving the news: The council approved a $119,025 settlement with Des Moines resident David Dyer last week, but neither the amount nor the police connection appeared in publicly available council documents beforehand.
- The agenda described it only as payment for a "personal injury and property damage claim," and the accompanying resolution didn't name Officer Joshua Bowen or indicate the claim stemmed from a police crash.
State of play: City spokesperson Devin Perry tells Axios that Des Moines will begin including settlement amounts and information about the nature of claims in council documents before meetings, similar to Polk County's process.
What they're saying: Deputy city attorney Meg Norberg told Axios the city "has always provided the information as required by law," but she didn't elaborate on why the city's policy was changed this week.
- Iowa Freedom of Information Council president Randy Evans told Axios that the city's longtime secrecy has had a "serious, cumulative, adverse effect" on public trust and confidence in its leaders.
Zoom in: Dyer's lawsuit says Bowen was speeding without lights or sirens when the August 2024 crash occurred at Southwest Ninth Street and Payton Avenue.
- The initial police report said that Bowen was trying to catch up to a vehicle for a traffic stop and that his speed "appears" to have contributed, though that had not yet been confirmed.
Des Moines has not disclosed Bowen's speed or released its final supervisory assessment.
- The city says those records are protected by Iowa personnel and police-investigation laws.
- The Iowa Supreme Court has distinguished factual police reports from protected supervisory reviews.
The big picture: The City Council has approved at least 28 claims or settlement resolutions this year, and council documents have generally omitted proposed amounts and often provided only broad descriptions.
- That includes $975,000 involving former police Maj. Lillie Parker, whose underlying allegations weren't detailed in council documents.
- Her settlement amount became public only after a Des Moines Register reporter requested it, before the vote.
Flashback: The council approved nearly $2.4 million in May 2024 to settle sexual discrimination lawsuits from four female police employees.
- Those council documents also omitted the amounts and DMPD's involvement.
Behind the scenes: Axios has been reporting since 2021 on the city's lack of information in council documents regarding settlements.
- The Iowa Freedom of Information Council has also been pressing the city to increase transparency in settlements following the Parker settlement.
What we're watching: How much detail Des Moines includes when the new disclosure practice appears in future council documents, beginning with the regular Sept. 14 meeting.