Flags across Iowa were ordered lowered to half-staff on Friday, May 15, as Gov. Kim Reynolds marked Peace Officers Memorial Day. The order applies from sunrise to sunset at the Capitol and on public buildings, grounds and facilities statewide.
Reynolds said, “Duty is a virtue embodied by the fallen peace officers our nation honors on this day,” and added, “There truly are no greater public servants than those who wear the uniform and give their lives for it.” Individuals, schools, businesses and government subdivisions are also being encouraged to fly flags at half-staff, the term used on land in the United States for a flag raised halfway between the top and bottom of the pole.
The answer to why are flags at half mast today is tied directly to Peace Officers Memorial Day, which President John F. Kennedy established in 1962 and set for May 15 to honor fallen and disabled federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Reynolds’ order also came in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week.
The observance carries particular weight in Iowa, where law enforcement deaths in the line of duty date back to the mid-18th century and have totaled between 198 and 223, according to the article. Among the most recent names recalled in that history is former Des Moines police officer Phoukham Tran, who died in November 2023 from injuries he suffered in 2011 after being struck by a drunk driver while directing traffic at the Iowa State Fair.
That is why the flags are at half-staff today: to mark a national day of remembrance for officers killed or injured while serving, and to place Iowa’s own losses in that broader tradition of public sacrifice.
