Eugene T. Meyer - Commissioner
Iowa Department of Public Safety

Governor Chester J. Culver appointed Eugene T. Meyer as the Commissioner of Public Safety effective January 12, 2007. Gene is the 20th Person to serve as Commissioner of Public Safety since its inception. The department employs 958 persons with a $122 million operating budget. Gene also serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the $270 + million Peace Officer Retirement System.

Eugene T. Meyer, a Jesup, Iowa native, began his career as a Communications Operator for the Iowa Department of Public Safety in 1969. He then spent 5 years as a Special Agent and then another 11 years as a Special Agent in Charge of Central-South Central Iowa. In 1989, Gene was promoted to Assistant Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation for the State of Iowa. In 1991, he accepted a 4-year assignment on the Commissioner of Public Safety staff, where he directed the Plans, Training and Research Bureau for the Department. In 1994, he returned to the DCI to head up the newly created Gaming Bureau and in 2003, Gene became the Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation. Meyer served his community for 19 years, nine (9) years as a member of the West Des Moines Community School Board of Education. Ten (10) years as Mayor of West Des Moines during which West Des Moines total valuation increased from $2 to $5 billion. Gene served on many commissions and boards such as the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Metro Advisory Council, Greater Des Moines Visitor-Convention Bureau, West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, and Development Corp. He also served as a member of the West Bank Corporation board of directors.

Gene earned his under-graduate degree in criminal justice and his masters degree in public administration. He is a 1980 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy.

Headquartered in the DPS Building on the Capitol complex in Des Moines, the Iowa Department of Public Safety is the law enforcement agency for the state of Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Safety has 38 facilities located around the state and employs 958 individuals. Of these 958 employees more than 600 are sworn peace officers, serving Iowans through the Iowa State Patrol, Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Division of Criminal Investigation, State Fire Marshal and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau.

Commissioner Meyer can be reached at:

Iowa Department of Public Safety
Commissioner’s Office
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 725-6182
meyer@dps.state.ia.us