Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Appanoose County, Iowa, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Appanoose County depends on where the incident happened: the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Appanoose County public records, Appanoose County arrest records, Appanoose County warrants, Appanoose County inmate search, Appanoose County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Appanoose County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Appanoose County that is the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
Reports from the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office
The Appanoose County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 11 violent and 46 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 68 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 641-437-7100. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at appanoosecounty.iowa.gov/departments/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Appanoose County), phone 641-437-7100, 22158, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Appanoose County
The one city the FBI lists in Appanoose County with a reporting agency of its own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Centerville: 14 violent and 38 property crimes reported for 2025; 105 arrests reported for 2025. The Centerville police department's page is at centerville-ia.org/departments/police-department, phone (641) 437-7100 (verified September 26, 2026).
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Appanoose County in 2025
The two agencies in Appanoose County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 25 violent and 84 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Appanoose County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 173 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
The Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) sets the rules: an answer without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, at a charge of the actual cost of copying and retrieval, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (641) 437-7178, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Appanoose County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
How long does an agency in Appanoose County have to answer?
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22), without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified. It may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
How do I get a report from the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 641-437-7100. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
Is this the official Appanoose County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.