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 on September 24, 2026.
Dallas County, Iowa, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Dallas County depends on where the incident happened: the Dallas 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: Dallas County public records, Dallas County arrest records, Dallas County warrants, Dallas County inmate search, Dallas County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Dallas County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Dallas County that is the Dallas 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.
The Urbandale Police Department, the Clive Police Department and the West Des Moines Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Dallas County, so their arrests are not broken out for Dallas County here.
Reports from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 17 violent and 41 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 280 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at inmates.dallascountyiowa.gov/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/dallas (page title: Inmate Search), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Dallas County
The six cities the FBI lists in Dallas County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Waukee: 52 violent and 233 property crimes reported for 2025; 559 arrests reported for 2025. The Waukee police department's page is at waukee.org/263/Police, phone 515-978-7979 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Perry: 14 violent and 85 property crimes reported for 2025; 252 arrests reported for 2024.
- Adel: 9 violent and 65 property crimes reported for 2025; 98 arrests reported for 2025. The Adel police department's page is at adeliowa.gov/departments/public_safety.php, phone (515) 993-6723 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Van Meter: 0 violent and 2 property crimes reported for 2025; 2 arrests reported for 2025.
- Woodward: 3 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 4 arrests reported for 2025.
- De Soto: 1 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025; 10 arrests reported for 2025.
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: Dallas County in 2025
The seven agencies in Dallas County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 96 violent and 432 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Dallas County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 953 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the agency must answer a request without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, and it may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at dallascountyiowa.gov/263/Open-Records-Request (page title: Open Records Request | Dallas County, IA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 515-993-5060, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Dallas County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Dallas County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. 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 Dallas 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.