Iowa motorists likely will be seeing more Iowa State Patrol cruisers along the

interstate highway system in the coming months.

But it’s not because the state has expanded its vehicle fleet or hired more

troopers. Instead, it’s an administrative change ordered by new Iowa

Department of Public Safety Commissioner K. Brian London to put the ISP logo

and emergency light bars on half of the 70 previously unmarked cars that

patrol Iowa’s highways.


Patrol spokesman Sgt. Scott Bright said the change-over is designed to increase

the visibility of law enforcement officers on the state’s most-traveled roads.

However, the state isn’t completely doing away with the unmarked cars, each

patrol district will retain one and those where interstate highways pass through

their boundaries will still have two unmarked vehicles.

The state will still have about three dozen unmarked cars patrolling highways