Dave Heuton was appointed as the new director of the Department's Administrative Services Division in February of 2002. Dave's appointment follows the retirement of Carroll Bidler who had been the Administrative Services Director since 1977.

Heuton's career with the State of Iowa began in August 1985 when he was hired as a financial analyst by the State Comptroller's Office, which became the Department of Management during the government reorganization of fiscal year 1987. His primary responsibilities in the Department of Management included preparation and presentation of the Governor's budget recommendations for various departments in state overnment, execution of budgets after enactment, and projections of the costs of salary increases for all state employees. Heuton joined the Department of Public Safety in September 1995 as the chief of the Finance Bureau, within the Administrative Services Bureau, a position he held until his appointment to division director. He has continued to be involved in the

The Technology Services Bureau coordinates the computer-related needs of the Department by providing and maintaining the data and telecommunications infrastructure for the Department. Data processing, office automation services and inter-system communications are only a few of the services provided to department personnel. Technology Services supports a multi-vendor combination of computers. By the end of the FY 02, 746 departmental employees had access to the Department's computer network maintained by Technology Services. There were over 2,518 calls for assistance to the computer help desk during FY 02.

IOWA System

The IOWA System is a computer network that provides access to a wide variety of information for police departments, sheriff's offices, and other criminal justice agencies throughout Iowa. Such data includes wanted/missing persons, stolen vehicles and articles, protective orders, sex offenders, motor vehicle registration files, driver licenses, and criminal history. The network also provides a gateway to other states (NLETS), the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and other countries. Currently 176 agencies in Iowa have IOWA System Access with approximately 2,083 actual computer terminals. During Fiscal Year 2002, 42,930,000 messages were processed through the IOWA System.

Individuals must be trained and certified to have access to the IOWA System. In Fiscal Year 2002, the Technology Services Bureau provided training for 2,247 individuals.

The IOWA System not only aids the criminal justice community as an enforcement tool, it also serves as an investigative tool. Data stored within the IOWA System, as well as the various systems it is networked to, can be searched. These searches, known as off-line searches, are conducted by personnel in the Technology Services Bureau for law enforcement agencies.

The off-line search is a method by which computerized information can be obtained when not enough information is available to retrieve it through normal inquiries. An example might be a criminal case in which the description of a vehicle is known but the license plate number is not. The off-line search provides a listing of vehicles that fit that description. In Fiscal Year 2002, the Technology Services Bureau conducted 800 such searches for the law enforcement personnel.

IOWA System staff write specifications for new and updated programs, train and certify users, develop and enforce operational policy, test and certify new systems, conduct compliance audits, administer the validation program and provide 24-hour helpdesk service in conjunction with the State Patrol Communications Center at Des Moines.

The Department of Public Safety has expenditures exceeding $80 million each year. The Finance Bureau is responsible for ensuring all expenditures of money are in accordance with state and federal laws, generally accepted accounting principles and Department of Revenue and Finance policy. The Finance Bureau maintains all human resources and payroll files for nearly 900 employees of the Department of Public Safety. The Bureau is also responsible for the administration of the $220+ million Peace Officers' Retirement, Accident and Disability System, the Department's Fixed Asset Control System and accounting for all negotiable instruments forfeited under Chapters 80 and 809A of the Iowa Code, and various Chapters of the United States Code.

The Program Services Bureau serves the criminal justice community and the general public through four program areas: Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program administration; private investigative, private security and bail enforcement licensing; weapon permit program administration and railway special agent administration.

Uniform Crime Reporting

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) staff collects crime information from the law enforcement agencies in Iowa and processes this information into reports including the annual Iowa Uniform Crime Report. This information is maintained on a computer database for use in writing the periodic reports as well as for specific research projects and is forwarded to the FBI for inclusion in the annual publication Crime in the United States. Research is conducted and reports are issued upon request for law enforcement, the media, researchers and the general public. In FY 02, these special requests numbered 268.

Weapon Permits

The Weapon Permit section develops forms used by Iowa sheriffs in the administration of the issuance of permits to carry weapons and permits to acquire pistols or revolvers. This section frequently researches and responds to weapons related questions from sheriffs' offices and the general public. A database is maintained to document the number of permits to carry issued by sheriffs. Additionally, this section processes all applications for permits to carry from state employees and nonresidents and documents them in the permit database.

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Private Investigative/Security/Bail Enforcement Licensing

Chapter 80A of the Code of Iowa stipulates that private security, private investigative and bail enforcement agencies and their employees doing business in Iowa be licensed. The Private Investigative, Private Security and Bail Enforcement Licensing section of the Program Services Bureau processes and issues licenses and renewals for such agencies. This process includes criminal history record checks, verification of bonding and proof of financial responsibility, and a written examination. Private investigative agencies are required to comply with continuing education requirements before their license can be considered for renewal. Additionally, all employees of licensed agencies must apply to the bureau for an employee ID. Applicants must undergo a criminal history record check and meet the requirements of Chapter 80A of the Code of Iowa before the ID is issued. There were 217 private investigative businesses, 109 private security businesses and one bail enforcement business which held valid licenses in 2002. A total of 3,154 ID cards were issued during 2001.