District 5 was established in 1937 (one of the original 10 offices) and comprised the northwest Iowa Counties of Buena Vista, Cherokee, Ida, Plymouth, Sac, and Woodbury. At that time it was known as District 4.
Interstate 29 travels the western side of District 5 while state Highways 20, 3, 59, and 75 intersect the district with considerable traffic. These six counties are comprised of 3,900 square miles of area. Contain over 8,000 miles of roads, and have a total population in excess of 185,000 people. The original post headquarters was first located on Main Street in downtown Cherokee. In 1967, a new building was constructed just west of Highway 3 and Highway 59 on the northwest side of Cherokee. There are no additional Department of Public Safety agencies housed within this district office.
District 5 officers have worked closely throughout the years with various city, state, county, and federal agencies. District 5 was instrumental in organizing the first multi-jurisdictional and multi-state traffic enforcement project known as the Tri-State Project in 1991. Since then, this has become an annual event utilizing law enforcement agencies from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Iowa State Patrol District 5, along with the Nebraska State Patrol and South Dakota Highway Patrol, were awarded the Commissioner’s Special Award for Traffic Safety by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau for exceptional efforts during the 2009 Tri-State Project.
Throughout history, District 5 has responded to incidents such as the massive Terra explosion in 1994, the crash of United Flight 232 in 1989 at the Sioux Gateway Airport, and numerous visits by presidents, vice presidents, and other dignitaries. While serving the citizens of Iowa, District 5 troopers have responded to many natural disasters such as the floods of 2008, tornadoes, and blizzards. Additionally, Papal visits, Sioux City air shows, and county fairs are continuously supported.
Iowa State Patrol District #5
5116 Hwy 3
Cherokee IA 51012
712.225.5119