DAVENPORT, Iowa (Quad-City Times) — A Davenport man who was shot by officers in 2016 after he rammed a police car now stands accused of trying to run down an Iowa State trooper over the weekend. The Quad-City Times says 23-year-old Rodricco Radell Parks Jr. was arrested early Saturday morning after police say a trooper pulled over a sport utility vehicle in Davenport on suspicion of excessive speeding.

The trooper says that as he approached the SUV, a passenger — later identified as Parks — jumped into the driver’s seat, threw the vehicle into reverse and tried to run over the trooper. A high-speed chase ensued and ended when police say Parks crashed into another vehicle.

Mills County officials have received notification through Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Mills County’s administrative funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Mills County, along with Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) soon to contract for abstract services for the properties that were included in the previously approved application.

Property owners in the unincorporated area of Mills County are encouraged to locate the abstract for their property and have them ready. On Friday, May 8, 2020, SWIPCO began contacting property owners via telephone to complete a short survey and discuss the status of the abstract.

DO NOT have your abstract updated at this time, just locate it.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Brian Hamman reports the County officially switched their public safety radio communications over to a new 700Mhz (Megahertz) radio system on the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS). The radio project was approved by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors on January 23, 2018 and awarded to Motorola Solutions.

The project included three –300’ self-supported radio towers, one –80’ self-supported radio tower, 290 dual band radios including portable and mobile radios for users on thestreets as well as in their vehicles, a simulcast fire paging system and a host of other equipment. The Montgomery County 911 Service Board also approved the purchase of 3 new dispatching consoles to allow complete and full access of the system with a back-up communications console being placed at the Montgomery County Emergency Management Facility.

Hamman says “With having the new system in place, we have already seen a dramatic improvement in our public safety communications across the county by first responders utilizing the new system where the current radio system has no coverage at all.” The original 18-month goal of completion was extended due several factors including land acquisition, spring flooding and a final tower site approval that had an extended appeal process. Hamman said “We are pleased that we have not faced any unexpected change orders and the approved project budget was held to the contract price. There is a lot of people that need acknowledged and thanked for their support to make this project a reality for us including the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, all Montgomery County first responders and their families and the public that helped support our cause in the approval stages of the project.”

“The new radio system allows all Montgomery County first responders to have complete and full coverage throughout Montgomery County and the State of Iowa. Our radios will now be interoperable with all neighboring counties and we’re excited for those counties that are also about ready to cutover to their new systems as well,” Hamman said.

“After several years of planning and then implementing the new system, it’s great and very exciting to finally see it being used throughout our agencies.” Within 10 minutes of switching over this (Tuesday) morning, the Red Oak Fire Department responded to a commercial structure fire at Red Oak Fabrications. The fire was quickly extinguished and proved that the new radio system was and is very beneficial for the safety and operations of our first responders

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. On Sunday, deputies arrested 41-year old Craig Robert Olson, of Griswold, on felony charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana and a Drug Tax Stamp Violation; he was also charged with OWI 1st Offense. Olson was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

Last Saturday, Deputies arrested 40-year old James Bernard Block, of Adair, on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Theft 2nd Degree (D Felony). Block was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $5,000 bond. On May 6th, 44-year old Jeremy Ronald Peterson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Revoked. Peterson was scheduled to be seen before a judge at a future date.

And, on May 4th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 48-year old Cory William Anstey, of Cumberland, on a charge of Domestic Abuse. Anstey was scheduled to be seen before a judge at a future date.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the pandemic is putting law officers, paramedics and other first responders at even greater risk as their routine interactions with the public could leave them with a potentially deadly case of COVID-19. Grassley is introducing a bill that would guarantee federal survivor and disability benefits for first responders who are felled by the coronavirus. “It’s nearly impossible to prove that an officer contracted the virus while at work,” Grassley says, “so this bill clarifies that families of officers who die of COVID-19 will be eligible for benefits if the officer was diagnosed within 45 days of his last shift.”

The measure is called the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act. Grassley says it could go to a vote in the Senate yet this week — which is National Police Week.  “The bill’s a very important bill to help these police officers and first responders just like if they were killed in the line of duty by gunfire, as an example,” he says.

Grassley, a Republican, says the bill recognizes the sacrifice of first responders and provides a measure of certainty when they report to work during the pandemic.