Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, May 5 for the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony.

This year, two fallen officers will be honored during the ceremony. The Iowa State Patrol’s Deputy and Coralville Police Department’s Sergeant Karl Williams dedicated their lives to serving Iowans to protect and keep our communities safe.

In the early afternoon of June 14, 2022, Fremont County Deputy Austin “Melvin” Richardson had just completed a call for service and was traveling on Highway 275 near Hamburg. Upon cresting a hill, Deputy Richardson immediately encountered a harvesting combine being operated partially in his lane. His patrol car collided with the combine which caused him to lose control. The resulting impact was catastrophic, and Deputy Richardson died at the scene. Deputy Richardson served as a police officer and deputy for 14 years, and was a member of two fire and rescue teams. He is survived by his wife Jennifer, along with their three daughters.

Just after noon on July 3, 2022, Coralville Police Sergeant John Karl Williams responded with his peers to a report of a three-year-old boy who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. As a father and grandfather himself, this was undoubtedly one of the most difficult calls for service Sergeant Williams had ever encountered. During the investigation, Sergeant Williams advised his fellow officers that he was not feeling well and returned to the police department. Once there, he began to experience severe chest pain, and went into cardiac arrest. Despite all the lifesaving measures performed by the responding paramedics, Sergeant Williams passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital – as did the little boy who had suffered the gunshot wound. Sergeant Williams was a 28-year veteran of the Coralville Police Department. He is survived by his wife Kim, along with their two sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren.

“These officers lost their lives defending and protecting their communities. The community of Coralville, the state of Iowa, and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement will never forget their service,” Gov. Reynolds said.

“While their families and our state continue to grieve, lowering flags across the state serves as a small memory of their sacrifice and is a reminder to every Iowans the importance of law enforcement to our communities.”

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.