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.
Ottumwa, Iowa, in Wapello County, has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ottumwa is held at the county jail, run by the Wapello 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: Ottumwa public records, Wapello County inmate search, Ottumwa arrest records, Ottumwa warrants, Ottumwa police reports, Ottumwa property records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Ottumwa
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ottumwa is held at the county jail, run by the Wapello County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Wapello County Sheriff's Office at wapellocounty.org/sheriff_and_jail/inmates (page title: Inmates & VINE | Sheriff and Jail | Wapello County, Iowa), phone 866-700-4545, 101 W. 4th St Ottumwa, IA 52501, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 866-700-4545.
The Wapello County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 100 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 104 beds, and it ran at 98 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Wapello County has about 36,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 29 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Wapello County Jail
The Wapello County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Ottumwa (filed by the FBI as Ottumwa Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Ottumwa.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Wapello County: Southeast Iowa Interagency Drug Task Force (other agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Ottumwa's 1,600 for 2025 and the Wapello County Sheriff's Office's 277 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Wapello County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,877 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 Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa?
Ask the Wapello County Sheriff's Office at 866-700-4545; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at wapellocounty.org/sheriff_and_jail/inmates.
How many people are in the Wapello County jail?
About 100 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 104 beds.
What is the phone number for the Wapello County jail?
866-700-4545, the number on the page of the Wapello County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Wapello 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 Ottumwa 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.