Trooper Lawrence takes to the skies to keep law and order on the ground

JOHNSTON, Iowa — Most days, Iowa State trooper Steve Lawrence just can’t keep his head out of the clouds — and why should he? He loves what he’s doing.

And all it took was a buckle, a hat and few minutes of a unknown state trooper’s time to send the former Columbus Junction resident 4,000 feet into the air.

Lawrence was about 10-years-old and going to Louisa-Muscatine Elementary School when he decided he wanted to be a trooper when he grew up. He was at the Muscatine County Courthouse with his mother, Twila Kistner of Columbus Junction, when he met a man who made a big impression on him.

“I remember how professional he looked,” Lawrence said of the trooper who took a few moments to stop and speak to him while his mom registered her car.

“I remember his shiny buckle, and the ‘Smokey the Bear’ hat. I have no idea now who that trooper was. I wish I did, I’d send him a note.”

Lawrence moved from L-M to Columbus Junction High School where he graduated in 1988 before taking off for college.

He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at William Penn University and wound up back in Columbus Junction as a police officer for a short time. Then he worked for the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office from 1992-98, all the while aspiring to become a trooper.

“His dedication paid off,” said his father, Mike Lawrence of Muscatine. “As he grew up he was always very respectful of authority and his elders. And it showed in the way he put his uniform on when he worked for the County. He was always very meticulous.”

He got his first trooper assignment at Post No. 14 in Ottumwa for two years and then he transferred to Post No. 13 in Mount Pleasant where he worked for eight years.

When a pilot position opened up in Des Moines he applied for it with his fingers crossed — he didn’t have flying experience.

Lawrence was hired and in 2007 and he learned to fly a Cessna 182 Skylane from the air wing of the Iowa State Patrol. He also acquired an instrument rating so he can fly in inclement weather using only the plane’s instruments to guide him.

Lawrence flies between 400-500 hours per year, but when the weather is too rough, he still does traffic enforcement from the ground in the Des Moines metro area.

Lawrence’s job includes air traffic enforcement across the state. He flies at an altitude of about 3,500-4,000 feet in almost “stall speed” — about 75-80 knots or 86-92 mph.

“I always look for that car in traffic that stands out, the one that is passing everybody,” Lawrence said. He flies overhead and does time/distance monitoring with a stopwatch and white marks on highways that indicate quarter-mile zones. When he locates an offender, he radios a trooper on the ground and keeps his eye on the violator until the trooper actually makes the stop to ensure there are no mistakes.

Lawrence also tracks vehicles by air for drug agents and does surveillance for the Criminal Division of Investigation. He uses infrared technology to find people who are lost or hiding in cornfields or wooded areas.

The air wing also transports soft tissues, such as hearts and eyes and blood, for emergency treatments and transplants.

“You get it there as fast as you can because you know there is someone waiting on the table for you,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence lives in Johnston with his wife of 19 years, Jobi, and three sons.

“I don’t plan on moving again. I’m doing exactly what I love,” Lawrence said.