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 26, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Independence, Iowa, in Buchanan County, has about 6,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Independence is held at the county jail, run by the Buchanan 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: Independence public records, Buchanan County inmate search, Independence arrest records, Independence warrants, Independence property records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Independence
The county jail, run by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Independence, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office at buchanancounty.iowa.gov/departments/sheriff/index.php (page title: Buchanan County Sheriff), phone (319) 334-2568, Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (319) 334-2568.
The Buchanan County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 40 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 42 beds, and it ran at 95 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Buchanan County has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 19 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Buchanan County Jail
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Independence (filed by the FBI as Independence Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Independence.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office's 353 for 2025, Independence's 135 for 2025 and Fairbank's 2 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 490 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 Independence arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Independence?
Ask the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office at (319) 334-2568; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at buchanancounty.iowa.gov.
How many people are in the Buchanan County jail?
About 40 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 42 beds.
What is the phone number for the Buchanan County jail?
(319) 334-2568, the number on the page of the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Buchanan 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 Independence 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.