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AP Exclusive: Disabled Iowa trooper works as security guard

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July 28th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A state trooper who was granted an early retirement after an on-duty shooting in 2013 continues to collect disability benefits while working as a security guard for Des Moines Public Schools. Tim Sieleman has received a $42,000-annual pension since the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s retirement system in 2014 found him “totally and permanently incapacitated for duty” due to mental stress. In February, he started work for the school district.

Attorney Bill McGinn, who represented the suspect shot by Sieleman in 2013, says Sieleman’s dual compensation is “kind of outrageous.” Iowa law declares that benefits received by disabled officers will end if they return to a “public safety occupation.” But Public Safety Commissioner Roxann Ryan says Sieleman’s dual compensation is allowed because school security work isn’t considered such a job.