District 8 was formed in August 1937 and was responsible for patrol duties in Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright counties.
Since its inception, the District 8 office has been housed at five different locations within Mason City. Originally, it was established at 15 ½ Second Street NE until 1949, when it was moved to 1415 ½ South Federal. In 1959, the District office was moved to Fifth and South President where it remained until 1964. After 45 years, it relocated to South Eisenhower Avenue and Highway 18.
In April 2009, District 8 Headquarters relocated to a newly constructed building at 4425 South Washington Avenue in Mason City. The size of the new facility allows the Department of Public Safety to support Iowa State Patrol personnel, as well as personnel from the Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), State Fire Marshal Office (SFM), and the Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center (DOI/FC).
Since District 8 was first founded, the District’s lines have changed over the years and it now encompasses only eight counties: Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Hancock, Howard, Mitchell, Winnebago, and Worth counties.
In May of 1968, the Charles City Tornado tore through the town resulting in the death of 12 citizens and wiped out the entire business district. In the years following that disastrous event, District 8 has played an important role in the response and recovery efforts of several other events such as the 2008 Parkersburg Tornado, the 2008 Cedar Rapids Flood, and the 39 vehicle pile-up on Interstate 35 during a blizzard in 2010 which resulted in one fatality.
Iowa State Patrol District #8
4425 S Washington Ave
Mason City IA 50401-7002
641.424.3625