Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Altoona, Iowa, in Polk County, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Altoona is held at the county jail, run by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Altoona public records, Polk County inmate search, Altoona arrest records, Altoona warrants, Altoona property records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Altoona
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Altoona is held at the county jail, run by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Polk County Sheriff's Office at polkinmates.polkcountyiowa.gov (page title: Jail & Arrest Information | Polk Inmates), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Polk County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 950 people, down from about 1,030 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,120 beds, and it ran at 88 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Polk County has about 516,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Polk County Jail
The Polk County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Altoona (filed by the FBI as Altoona Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Altoona.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Polk County: Polk County Conservation Law Enforcement (other agency).
The Carlisle Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Polk County, so its arrests are not broken out for Polk County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Des Moines's 6,633 for 2025, the Polk County Sheriff's Office's 1,458 for 2025 and West Des Moines's 1,100 for 2025.
Together, the ten agencies in Polk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,100 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Altoona arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Polk County serves the sentence in a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Altoona?
Ask the Polk County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at polkinmates.polkcountyiowa.gov.
How many people are in the Polk County jail?
About 950 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 1,120 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Polk County go?
To a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Is this the official Altoona website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.