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.
Polk County, Iowa, has about 516,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Polk County depends on where the incident happened: the Polk 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: Polk County public records, Polk County arrest records, Polk County warrants, Polk County inmate search, Polk County property records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Polk 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 Polk County that is the Polk 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 FBI's list also carries Polk County Conservation Law Enforcement (other agency), with a records office of its own.
The Carlisle Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Polk County, so its arrests are not broken out for Polk County here.
Reports from the Polk County Sheriff's Office
The Polk County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 78 violent and 442 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,458 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at polkinmates.polkcountyiowa.gov (page title: Jail & Arrest Information | Polk Inmates), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Polk County
The 11 cities the FBI lists in Polk County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Des Moines: 1,366 violent and 6,042 property crimes reported for 2025; 6,633 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ankeny: 119 violent and 814 property crimes reported for 2025; 990 arrests reported for 2025. The Ankeny police records page is at ankenyiowa.gov/326/Police-Report-Requests, phone 515-289-5240 (verified September 26, 2026).
- West Des Moines: 110 violent and 1,145 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,100 arrests reported for 2025. The West Des Moines police records page is at wdm.iowa.gov/government/police/learn-about-us/records, phone 515-222-3320 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Urbandale: 59 violent and 253 property crimes reported for 2025; 686 arrests reported for 2025.
- Johnston: 21 violent and 171 property crimes reported for 2025; 444 arrests reported for 2025.
- Altoona: 43 violent and 327 property crimes reported for 2025; 624 arrests reported for 2024.
- Clive: 16 violent and 194 property crimes reported for 2025; 414 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pleasant Hill: 5 violent and 94 property crimes reported for 2025; 141 arrests reported for 2021.
- Polk City: 1 violent and 34 property crimes reported for 2025; 97 arrests reported for 2025.
- Windsor Heights: 4 violent and 222 property crimes reported for 2025; 260 arrests reported for 2025. The Windsor Heights police records page is at windsorheights.org/273/Crime-Reports-Statistics, phone 515-222-3321 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Mitchellville: 3 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025; 18 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: Polk County in 2025
The 12 agencies in Polk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,825 violent and 9,752 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the ten agencies in Polk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,100 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Polk County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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.