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.
Warren County, Iowa, has about 56,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Warren County depends on where the incident happened: the Warren 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: Warren County public records, Warren County arrest records, Warren County warrants, Warren County criminal records, Warren County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Warren 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 Warren County that is the Warren 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 Des Moines Police Department and the West Des Moines Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Warren County, so their arrests are not broken out for Warren County here.
Reports from the Warren County Sheriff's Office
The Warren County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 19 violent and 57 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 128 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Warren County
The three cities the FBI lists in Warren County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Indianola: 23 violent and 536 property crimes reported for 2025; 700 arrests reported for 2025.
- Norwalk: 8 violent and 46 property crimes reported for 2025; 127 arrests reported for 2025. The Norwalk police department's page is at norwalk.iowa.gov/departments/police/police.php, phone 515-222-3321 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Carlisle: 7 violent and 26 property crimes reported for 2025; 90 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: Warren County in 2025
The four agencies in Warren County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 57 violent and 665 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Warren County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,045 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, 515-690-9120, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Warren County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren 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.