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.
Madison County, Iowa, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Madison County depends on where the incident happened: the Madison 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: Madison County public records, Madison County arrest records, Madison County warrants, Madison County inmate search, Madison County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Madison 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 Madison County that is the Madison 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 West Des Moines Police Department is listed by the FBI across four counties including Madison County, so its arrests are not broken out for Madison County here.
Reports from the Madison County Sheriff's Office
The Madison County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 10 violent and 27 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 106 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at sheriffrandytucker.com/madison-county-detention-center (page title: Madison County Detention Center | Madison County Sheriff's Department), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Madison County
The two cities the FBI lists in Madison County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Winterset: 11 violent and 29 property crimes reported for 2025; 222 arrests reported for 2020. The Winterset police department's page is at winterset.gov/m/directory/department?did=10, phone 515-462-1423 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Earlham: 0 violent and 5 property crimes reported for 2025; 2 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: Madison County in 2025
The three agencies in Madison County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 21 violent and 61 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Madison County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 108 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, (515) 462-5034, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Madison County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison 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.