Jason Clayworth

jclayworth@dmreg.com

A longtime Iowa Department of Public Safety criminalist who publicly posted her personal fears about black people on social media earlier this month is no longer employed by the state, the agency confirmed Wednesday.

“Yes, not every black person is going to shoot me because I look at them wrong, or because I happen to be attending a training so I’m wearing a DCI shirt that day — but I know that there is a stronger chance that they will today than they would have 5 years ago,” Amy Pollpeter posted on her Facebook page on July 8.

Pollpeter was a criminalist assigned to DPS' Division of Criminal Investigation.

Following an inquiry by The Des Moines Register, the department released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying Pollpeter was no longer employed at the agency. The statement said the termination was connected to the posts and cited the department's social media and general conduct policies. Pollpeter had previously been on administrative leave since July 12.

Safety department officials said they could not discuss details of personnel matters. Questions to the department seeking the specific social media or conduct policies that Pollpeter allegedly violated went unanswered Wednesday.



The department's social media policy says employees are free to express themselves on their own time and using non-state resources. But it also warns that action may be taken against the employee if that expression affects his or her credibility as a witness for the state, a role Pollpeter often performed as a criminalist. And the department's conduct code prohibits employees from engaging in personal or business affairs that reflect unfavorably on the department.

“The Iowa Department of Public Safety has a strong commitment to integrity, impartiality and professionalism in every aspect of our work," said Commissioner Roxann Ryan. "We have adopted these policies in order to ensure that the public has trust in all that we do, and our policies reflect the high standards that we maintain,”

Gary Licht, a DPS supervisor who oversaw some of Pollpeter’s work, denounced the posts during a Register interview Wednesday.

“What we’re talking about was made public on Facebook. They’re offensive and they do not reflect my thoughts or actions,” Licht said.

Licht said one employee’s comments on social media are not reflective of the department.

“It doesn’t tarnish the rest of us,” Licht said about Pollpeter’s posts. “It’s one person speaking.”

Pollpeter had worked as a DPS criminalist for about 10 years and was paid about $85,000 a year, public records show.

She describes herself as a forensic scientist, sexual assault survivor, speaker and author on her webpage. Last year she was a speaker at the Conference on Crimes Against Women, and a biography associated with that event states she has analyzed about 1,000 forensic cases including homicides, sexual assaults and property crimes.

Pollpeter is also a crime-lab expert and sometimes testifies in court for the state. In one prominent case last year, she testified on behalf of the prosecution, saying she had found former Rep. Henry Rayhons' semen on his wife's bed sheet and quilt.

Rayhons was accused of a sex crime for allegedly having sex with his wife in a nursing home facility after being told she was no longer mentally capable of giving consent. A jury found the Hancock County Republican not guilty.

Pollpeter said Wednesday that she believes the termination is possible retaliation for a complaint she filed with the agency a few months ago. She declined further comment, citing advice from her attorney and the possibility of future litigation challenging the state's actions.

In addition to posting comments about black people on her own Facebook account, Pollpeter also posted a comment to a Des Moines television station’s Facebook account in early July alerting viewers and readers to a planned Black Lives Matter rally:

“If there weren’t so many of you trying to kill cops, maybe there wouldn’t be cops who have to fear for their lives at a basic traffic stop,” her post on KCCI.com concluded.

The posts have since been removed.

Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines and longtime civil rights advocate, said he would disagree with the termination if it was due to the current political climate, noting his belief in freedom of speech. But violations of social media and general employee conduct policies are less subjective, he said.

"It's unfortunate," Abdul-Samad said about the Facebook posts. "Comments indicating that so many black people are shooting police are inaccurate. And — the law enforcement I've spoken with — don't share that (Pollpeter's) sentiment. This is not an 'Us vs. Them' issue."